Dear Friends,
In the first week of Advent, we have two beautiful feast days. The first is St. Nicholas, on December 6, and the second is the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8. December 8 is also the birthday of our Rector Emeritus, so we send our very best wishes to Fr. Mead and hope that he has a wonderful celebration. Advent is also the anniversary of my own ordination as a deacon and a priest, so this season means a great deal to the Rector Emeritus and to me. Mother Turner has written something about St. Nicholas below, so I thought I would reflect a little on the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
December 8 is a time when we remember that God’s grace is not only poured into the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but also poured into our lives constantly. In the Prophecy of Jeremiah, God says to a young Jeremiah,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
When I was a boy myself, my Church of England parish was quite evangelical, so I was taught the protestant doctrine of predestination. While that doctrine brings with it many questions (most notably, if God has a plan and enters into the lives of people, why is there evil in the world?), Scripture also shows that God does have a plan for each of us, and that he calls each of us into a new relationship with him from all eternity. Equally though, Scripture teaches that many of us frustrate that plan by resisting God’s call (perhaps the main reason why there is evil in our world).
The traditional Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady has often been criticized, and rightly so, when it is understood as setting Mary above the rest of humanity. There is a danger of putting Mary on a pedestal and making her less-than human, sinless and filled with a grace unattainable for most of us. To think that turns Mary into a kind of robot – an automaton – simply doing what God has planned for her with no free will. To believe that is to strip her of her humanity, and that cheapens the doctrine of the incarnation. I have sometimes pondered the story of the Annunciation and allowed my mind to consider how many women Gabriel visited until he found Mary of Nazareth who said yes to God and his plan. I know that is pure conjecture, but Mary’s free will matters.
The Angel told Mary that she was filled with grace, and that same grace is poured out on you and me. Let me give you an example: When children are baptized, they cannot speak, and their parents and godparents make the baptismal covenant on their behalf. In the sacrament of baptism, we are washed clean of sin and become a new creation in Christ. We are ‘born again’ and incorporated into the Church – the body of Christ. The great theologian Karl Rahner used that same imagery to explain the Roman Catholic Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception – it is all about baptismal grace, and that grace fills the universe and transcends time. Yes, just think about it! Christ’s self-offering on the cross flooded the whole creation with grace. And that grace not only affected his followers and those to come after, but those who came before. As dear departed parishioner and faithful Altar Guild member Libby Clark once said at a pilgrims’ class many years ago (with a beaming smile across her face), “GRACE is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” How wonderful to think that Mary was filled with that same grace even before she had conceived Jesus in her womb! How wonderful that we, too, have received that same grace through our baptism! We proclaim this truth in the Christmas season when we read the prologue of John’s Gospel, and affirm that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us:
Happy Advent dear friends,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
Advent with Children and Family Ministry and the Choir School
Advent in the Choir School is a time of anticipation and waiting, celebrating and rejoicing, creating and sharing. It’s that time of year when an array of secular and spiritual traditions are woven together to make this season, once again, one to remember. Whether it’s the making of Gingerbread Houses, Candy Cane Trivia, Secret Santa, Advent Wreath Making, Tree Trimming, to name but a few of those long-term traditions, it’s the singing of Messiah that is probably one of the most beloved traditions of this season. Wasn’t it wonderful!
Each year, new Advent traditions find their way into the rich tapestry of the boys’ lives, alongside the usual rigorous schedule of academic studies, sport, instrument and choir practice, and for our Grade 8 students it is also a time of preparation of papers and interviews for high school.
I have it on good authority from the Admissions Department that we only have to do something twice and it becomes a tradition. One such thing is the Grade 8 visit to the Neapolitan Crèche at the Met Museum each December. Another is the visit of Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Choristers and Children, whose feast day we celebrate on December 6. Multiple traditions, legends, and ceremonies surround this saint. This year Saint Nicholas shared a little of his own story of his calling as a bishop; he was also most impressed by the boy’s ability to support one another in sharing the Apostles Creed unprompted. Look out after the 9am Mass on Sunday- you may see him visiting the Parish House as well.
We had another bishop visit the Choir School this week: Bishop Matthew Heyd, who came to meet with Chaplains of Episcopal Schools. It was both his and their first visit to the Choir School. They were delighted to be here.
A third and new bishop in our lives will be welcomed at the 9am Mass this Sunday as we celebrate the inaugural dedication of a Child Bishop. This ceremony is based on an ancient liturgy that occurs in Churches and Cathedrals throughout Europe and America around the Feast of Saint Nicholas. Its purpose is primarily to affirm the leadership and humility of a young person from our congregation. Within the service on Sunday, Tatum Littlejohn will also be clothed as a bishop, share the prayers of the people. Her very presence as Child Bishop for a day will act as a powerful reminder that Jesus not only called children to himself, but asked us to be like a child.
If you have not yet come to the 9 o’clock Mass, or if you know a family that might like an introduction to Saint Thomas, do let them know that you and they are invited to join us this Sunday, or at our upcoming Crèche service on December 16, involving children from the parish, Choristers and Choir School. We are aiming for 200 participants in this our Bicentennial Year.
