Jesus on toast

Bread of life: a six-feet-high depiction

A six-feet-high depiction of a crucifix at St Peter’s, Great Limber, in north Lincolnshire, made from 153 slices of toast — “strategically overdone” and scraped to produce the image of Christ.

Cross on the altar

Monsignor Guido Marini, Benedict XVI’s master of ceremonies, this week strongly underlined the Pope’s recommendation that when Mass is celebrated facing westwards, the priest should place a crucifix at the centre of the altar. This was to make clear that the celebrant was not“facing the people”, but facing Christ.

The Holy Father could hardly have made himself clearer on this point. So why do the Bishops of England and Wales allow the vast majority of their priests to ignore his wishes? Why do the bishops themselves routinely ignore the recommendation?

Perhaps someone will ask the bishops when they make their ad liminavisit to Rome at the end of this month. One hopes that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference, will be able to reply that the bishops have drawn up plans to introduce this reform universally – and also to make it easier for the faithful to receive communion kneeling and on the tongue, which is the preference of the Pope. (At the moment, too many parish priests treat anyone wishing to receive the Sacrament in this way as an oddball, rather than a Catholic following the example of the Holy Father.)

Power of the cross

The recently consecrated bishop parked his car outside the old downtown church, paused for a moment as though reconsidering his next move, and then briskly climbed the four steps onto the simple but sunny verandah.

On a bench near the front door sat a grey haired priest, seemingly in silent meditation. The bishop approached him diffidently, carefully studying his heavily lined features, clasped hands and closed eyes as though establishing his identity.

Then he spoke softly: "Father, may I sit with you a while?" The old man looked up at the unfamiliar features and pectoral cross, his tired but keen eyes puzzled but polite. He smiled and motioned to the bishop to sit beside him.

"Forgive my intrusion," the bishop said. "But I have a story I must tell you." The old man nodded quietly and waited.

The bishop began: Quite some time ago now a small group of rather boisterous young louts, fresh from an afternoon's drinking session, were walking past a little church. One of them drew the attention of his companiopns to a notice on the door, listing times of confession.

Amid raucous laughter, he suggested: "Why don't we have a bit of fun. Let's make a list of the worst sins we can think of and then draw lots as to who should go in and confess them. It'll be a lark seeing how the poor old priest reacts."

"I've got a better plan," jeered a companion. "Seeing it's your bright idea, why don't you put your money where your mouth is. I bet you 20 dollars you don't have the guts to do it."

The young man tensed a bit but rose to the challenge. "Right," he said, "let's get working on the sin sheet."

It wasn't long before the young man emerged from the church beaming, brandishing a slip of paper. "Well Ive won the bet," he said. "Here's proof I've been to confession."

"What's that?" asked his companions. "It's my penance, handed to me by the priest himself." "What did he say?" the others asked. "He didn't say anything, just handed me the slip."

"Well," said one, "have you done your penance?" "Don't be silly. I don't go for that nonsense," he replied. 2Then I don't pay you your 20 dollars" said his challenger. No penance, no confession. He was adamant.

Seeing they were unyielding, the young man went back into the church, reading the priest's note as he went.

"Kneel before the crucifix at the altar and repeat ten tuimes: All this you did for me and I don't give a damn."

"That's no hassle." he thought, making his way to the chancel. He reached the crucifix and knelt down. His eyes took in the nailed hands and feet and the infinite sadness in the eyes. Then they moved to the text below: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".

He began his penance: "All this you did for me and I don't give a damn. All this you did for me and I don't give a damn. All this you did for me and I don't..."

About half an hour later his friends, impatient, went in to the church to find out what he was up to. They found him at the altar rail sobbing profusely.

"Well, that's the story," said the bishop. "Except for two things. I was that young man and you were the priest."

A Public Execution

In the public square

SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH

Members of the congre gation of Christ Church, Stan nington, use narration, mime, and music to re-enact the Passion and resurrection in Fargate and in the Peace Gardens, in Sheffield city centre, last week. (a city and church familiar to me) SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH

Hot Cross Buns

SAINSBURY’s in St Albans will be batch-baking the Alban Hot Cross Bun for its customers on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, using a recipe that dates from 1361.

The Alban Bun, which uses wholemeal flour, milk, cardamom, and yeast, is an established part of the history of the Abbey and Cathedral. It can trace its roots back to Fr Thomas Rockcliffe, who baked the buns to give out to the local poor. The tradition has continued in the Cathedral for hundreds of years, and proceeds this year will go the local charity for homeless people, Open Door.

“The hot cross bun is now available throughout the year, and its connection with the Easter story has been lost,” Hamish Thompson, a director of Cathedral Enterprises, said. “We felt that publicising the Alban Bun was a great way of reconnecting the symbolism of the bun with the Easter story.”

The Cathedral sought a com mercial partner to make the bun on a bigger scale, and has been delighted with the response from Sainsbury’s. “It all felt to us like the intersection of God and Mammon: a chance to get the point across about the sym bolism, but at the same time po tentially raise some additional money for the Cathedral’s mission,” Mr Thompson said.

“The buns do have a very dis tinctive taste, and what Sainsbury’s see is the opportunity potentially

to retail an interesting new prod-uct.”

Canon Kevin Walton said on Tuesday that the reception so far had exceeded all expectations. “There’s been a lot of press interest. Indi viduals have been emailing us for the recipe, but we’re having to hold that back for the time being for com mercial reasons,” he said.

“As well as promoting the mean ing of Easter, it’s also raising the profile of St Albans as a place of missions and pilgrimage.”

Offensive cross(2)

In the Times today, Russell Jenkins

reports on the latest TV wedding, in Coronation Street. The setting was the beautiful 14th century church

of Nether Alderley in Cheshire. The vicar is incensed, reports Russell: 'It was not the absurd storyline... 

Nor was it the ornate horse-drawn carriage, the dry-ice machine used to create atmosphere or even the 

harpist in the nave.'  The Rev James Milnes is upset because the producers, not wanting to cause offence,

covered up the solid brass cross on the altar.

Offensive cross(1)

The vicar of St John's Church, Horsham, has taken down a crucifix from the front 

of his church because its depiction of pain and suffering was too vivid. The Rev

Ewen Souter was worried that the sculpture (which had been on the building for

 45 years) might detract from the parish's "welcoming" environment.

Flying the Flag

(from this month's parish magazine)

George replaced Edward the Confessor as patron saint of England following the Crusades, when returning soldiers brought back with them a renewed cult of St George. Edward III made St George patron of the Order of the Garter, confirming his position. However, we know that St George's banner - the martyr's red cross on the white ground of purity - was being carried into battle by English soldiers a long time before this.

The primary flag for use by churches in England is the Diocesan flag, which is a normal 'St Georg's Cross' with the arms of the diocese in the top-left quarter. Churches which do not possess a Diocesan flag may use the ordinary St George's flag instead.

There are those in the Church of England who argue that someone like St Alban, the first Christian martyr of Roman Britain, should replace St George, but I think they will have a hard struggle against the increasing popularity of St George and his flag.

Northern Ireland has a bank holiday on St Patrick's day. The Scottish Parliament has introduced a voluntary bank holiday on St Andrew's day and the Welsh Assembly agrees that St David's day should be a public holiday. An English campaigning group is trying to persuade the government to make St George's day a bank holiday. They want everybody to take a day off work on Wednesday 23rd April and to celebrate.

After our Lord's resurrection and ascension the Christian church grew and spread rapidly but Christians were subjected to persecution by Jews and Romans alike. A secret sign of a fish, drawn from just two curved strokes, was used to declare one's allegiance during those dangerous times. The Greek word for a fish - ichthys - is an acronym of the Greek for 'Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour'. The Cross was not widely used before the 4th century AD, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Before this, the cross would be disguised as an anchor, or some other mundane object. In private, Christians might make the sign of the cross as a gesture of identification, blessing, and for warding off evil. Crucifixes began to appear in the 5th century.

It is good to display the flag of St George as a sign of national pride. As Christians, we should take pride in our faith by displaying a cross, or a crucifix, on our person and in our homes. It is a simple but effective form of Christian witness.

'Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim

till all the world adore his sacred name.'

Good Friday

On Good Friday, the Church invites us to fast and abstain from eating meat.

As close to three o'clock(the traditional hour of Christ'd death) as possible, we celebrate the Lord's passion. The altar is bare and the celebrant enters and makes the dramatic gesture of prostrating himself before the altar and all pray in silence together. The act of prostration is a recognition of the magnitude of what Christ did for us on the cross. We bow down and acknowledge what we are: fallen creatures whom only he can set on their feet.

We then listen to John's gospel account of the Passion. It tells of Jesus freely submitting to all his sufferings to save us. Just as Christ died for the whole world, the Church then turns its prayerful attention to the whole world and ten solemn intercessions are made. The next part of the liturgy involves a solemn veneration of the cross. We each approach the cross and kiss it or touch it, venerating the wood on which hung our Saviour and the Saviour of the world. It is not a matter of feeling sorry for Jesus, but of gratitude for his saving help.

After the liturgy there are many forms of devotion and prayer among which one of the most beautiful is the Stations of the Cross.

Here in Scarborough

10.00 a.m. Churches Together in Scarborough March of Witness through town and up to the castle.

12.00 noon Stations of the Cross.

3.00 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy.

St Brigid's Cross

I have been out to purchase a cross to hang on the wall of my sick mother in her nursing home room so that she can see it from her prostrate position in her bed. I believe that it will speak to her(and she can speak to it) at a time when other forms of prayer and sharing in public worship are no longer possible. Of course, she can remain a sick communicant through the regular visits of a church representative.

The story of St Brigid's Cross is relevant:
Story of St Brigid and her cross
St. Brigid and her cross are linked together by the story that she wove this form of cross at the death bed of either her father or a pagan lord, who upon hearing what the cross meant, asked to be baptized. One version goes as follows:
A pagan chieftain from the neighbourhood of Kildare was dying. Christians in his household sent for Brigid to talk to him about Christ. When she arrived the chieftain was raving. As it was impossible to instruct this delirious man, hopes for his conversion seemed doubtful. Brigid sat down at his bedside and began consoling him. As was customary, the dirt floor was strewn with rushes both for warmth and cleanliness. Brigid stooped down and started to weave them into a cross, fastening the points together. The sick man asked what she was doing. She began to explain the cross, and as she talked his delirium quieted and he questioned her with growing interest. Through her weaving, he converted and was baptized at the point of death. Since then the cross of rushes has been venerated in Ireland. This feast is celebrated on the first day of Febuary.

Here is more of St Brigid, co patroness with St Patrick of Ireland:
According to tradition, St Brigid was born at Faughart near Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Because of the legendary quality of the earliest accounts of her life, there is much debate among many scholars and even faithful Christians as to the historicity of her biographies. According to her biographers her parents were Dubhthach, a pagan chieftain of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptized by Saint Patrick. Some accounts of her life suggested that Brigid's mother was in fact Portuguese, kidnapped by Irish pirates and brought to Ireland to work as a slave in much the same way as St. Patrick. Brigid was given the same name as one of the most powerful goddesses of the pagan religion which her father Dubhthach practised. Brigid was the goddess of fire, whose manifestations were song, craftsmanship, and poetry, which the Irish considered the flame of knowledge.
Whether she was raised a Christian or converted in 468, as some accounts say, is unknown, but she was inspired by the preaching of St. Patrick from an early age. Despite her father's opposition she was determined to enter religious life. Numerous stories testify to her piety. She had a generous heart and could never refuse the poor who came to her father's door. Her charity angered her father: he thought she was being overly generous to the poor and needy when she dispensed his milk, butter, and flour to all and sundry. When she finally gave away his jewel-encrusted sword to a leper, Dubhthach realised that perhaps her disposition was best suited to the life of a nun: would a husband tolerate her profligacy? Brigid finally got her wish and she was sent to a convent.
Brigid recieved the veil from St. Mel and professed vows dedicating her life to Christ. From this point biographers heap stories and legends on Brigid. She is believed to have founded a convent in Clara, County Offaly - her first: other foundations followed. But it was to be in Kildare that her major foundation would emerge. Around 470 she founded a double monastery, for nuns and monks, on the plains of Kildare (Cill-Dara). As Abbess of this foundation she wielded considerable power, but proved to be a wise and prudent superior. Legends surround her, even her blessing as Abbess by St. Mel has a story attached to it. According to the legend, the elderly bishop, as he was blessing her during the ceremony, inadvertently read the Rite of Consecration of a Bishop and that this could not be rescinded, under any circumstances. This legend is unsubstantiated: there was no question her being ordained, but what is more likely is that this is a story which evolved to explain a unique administrative status which was conferred upon the Abbess of Kildare: Brigid and her successor Abbesses at Kildare had an administrative authority equal to that of a Bishop until the Synod of Kells in 1152.
Brigid was famous for her common-sense and most of all for her holiness: in her lifetime she was regarded as a saint. The Abbey of Kildare became of the most prestigious monasteries in Ireland, famed throughout Christain Europe. In the scriptorium of the monastery, for example, the famous illuminated manuscript the Book of Kildare was created.
She died at Kildare c 525 and was buried in a tomb before the High Altar of her Abbey church. After some time her remains were exhumed and translated to Downpatrick to rest with the two other patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick and St. Columcille. Her skull was extracted and brought to Lisbon, Portugal by two Irish noblemen, and it remains there to this day. There is widespread devotion to her in Ireland where she is known as the 'Mary of the Gael' and her cult was brought to Europe by Irish missionaries in the centuries after her death. Her feastday is celebrated on February 1st.
Similar to the association between St. Patrick and the shamrock, a tiny cross made of rushes was linked with St. Brigid. Legend has it she made the cross from rushes she found on the ground beside a dying man in order to convert him. It remains the custom in many houses in Ireland to have a St Brigid's Cross in honour of the saint; it is a commonly believed by some that the St Brigid's Cross protects the house from fire. According to tradition a new cross is made each St Brigid's Day (February 1), and the old one is burned to keep fire from the house.
Many believe that Brigid was not an actual person, but rather a Christianization of the pagan goddess in order to convert Celtic pagans to Christianity. Given the struggle Christian missionaries faced in their efforts to preach the Gospel in Ireland, even though they Christianized some elements, the adoption of a pagan goddess into the Communion of Saints may have been an effort to Christianize one of the most enduring pagan goddesses. Most historians say that she was a real person whose life was embellished by imaginative hagiographers, and this seems the most likely scenario.