They Had a Single Altar: The Sunday after Ascension
St. John 17:11-19
I recognize that most of our readers are in the United States, where most dioceses transfer the Feast of the Ascension to today. However, because the Fellowship is currently working out of Europe, and here in the UK, Ascension is still celebrated on Thursday, we are going to be following local law and custom.
Before I became a Catholic, as a young Anglican studying for a master's in Religion, I stumbled upon an excerpt from St. Augustine's Psalmus Contra Partem Donati, or Psalm against the Sect of the Donatists. Being a student of Old Testament, these lines struck me:
Undoubtedly in days gone by there were holy men as Scripture tells,
For God state that he left behind seven thousand men in safety,
And there are many priests and kings who are righteous under the law,
There you find so many of the prophets, and many of the people too.
Tell me which of the righteous of that time claimed an altar for himself?
That wicked nation perpetrated a very large number of crimes,
They sacrificed to idols and many prophets were put to death,
Yet not a single one of the righteous withdrew from unity.
The righteous endured the unrighteous while waiting for the winnower:
They all mingled in one Temple but were not mingled in their hearts;
They said such things against them yet they had a single altar.
(trnsl. Crolinne White)
This struck me to my heart. In the High Priestly prayer from today's Gospel, Christ pleads with the Father that we all would be one as they are one. (St. Jhn. 17:11). The unity of the Body of Christ in godly charity is a great concern of our Lord's.
I had my reservations about the Catholic Church, but St. Augustine cut through my hang-ups with this appeal. Whatever my hesitation, there is but one altar on high, or as St. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, "There is one Body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:4-6, KJV)
From this knowledge, that there is one altar and one body and that Christ prayed for our unity with tears, St. Paul derives a conclusion: walk humbly, with patience and forbearing, to keep unity in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3). Our unity requires our humility and our charity. This is why our holy father Benedict writes "This is how unity is maintained--through mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ." (trnsl. Wilson-Hartgrove)
So that we will be ready when Christ, who has ascended on high, comes again in his chariot of clouds to gather us to himself from the four winds (St. Mt. 24:30-31). Because this is the greatness of God's might: that He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the Father in glory, to reign over all things, as the head of the Church, and to gather all things that are in Heaven and Earth into one in Christ. (Eph. 1:9-10, 17-23)
So let us gather in the feast of Christ's body, before the Altar, in all humility, as Christ is enthroned on high bringing together all things at His feet. Amen. Allelujah, Allelujah!
I recognize that most of our readers are in the United States, where most dioceses transfer the Feast of the Ascension to today. However, because the Fellowship is currently working out of Europe, and here in the UK, Ascension is still celebrated on Thursday, we are going to be following local law and custom.
 |
| Adoration of the Holy Trinity Albrecht Durer |
Before I became a Catholic, as a young Anglican studying for a master's in Religion, I stumbled upon an excerpt from St. Augustine's Psalmus Contra Partem Donati, or Psalm against the Sect of the Donatists. Being a student of Old Testament, these lines struck me:
Undoubtedly in days gone by there were holy men as Scripture tells,
For God state that he left behind seven thousand men in safety,
And there are many priests and kings who are righteous under the law,
There you find so many of the prophets, and many of the people too.
Tell me which of the righteous of that time claimed an altar for himself?
That wicked nation perpetrated a very large number of crimes,
They sacrificed to idols and many prophets were put to death,
Yet not a single one of the righteous withdrew from unity.
The righteous endured the unrighteous while waiting for the winnower:
They all mingled in one Temple but were not mingled in their hearts;
They said such things against them yet they had a single altar.
(trnsl. Crolinne White)
This struck me to my heart. In the High Priestly prayer from today's Gospel, Christ pleads with the Father that we all would be one as they are one. (St. Jhn. 17:11). The unity of the Body of Christ in godly charity is a great concern of our Lord's.
I had my reservations about the Catholic Church, but St. Augustine cut through my hang-ups with this appeal. Whatever my hesitation, there is but one altar on high, or as St. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, "There is one Body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:4-6, KJV)
From this knowledge, that there is one altar and one body and that Christ prayed for our unity with tears, St. Paul derives a conclusion: walk humbly, with patience and forbearing, to keep unity in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3). Our unity requires our humility and our charity. This is why our holy father Benedict writes "This is how unity is maintained--through mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ." (trnsl. Wilson-Hartgrove)
So that we will be ready when Christ, who has ascended on high, comes again in his chariot of clouds to gather us to himself from the four winds (St. Mt. 24:30-31). Because this is the greatness of God's might: that He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the Father in glory, to reign over all things, as the head of the Church, and to gather all things that are in Heaven and Earth into one in Christ. (Eph. 1:9-10, 17-23)
 |
| The Last Judgment Michaelangelo |
So let us gather in the feast of Christ's body, before the Altar, in all humility, as Christ is enthroned on high bringing together all things at His feet. Amen. Allelujah, Allelujah!
Comments
Post a Comment