Diocesan
Life Columns
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Bishop Paul's writes a monthly column for the Diocesan Newspaper, Diocesan
Life, edited by Communication
Minister, Bill Lewellis.
For more features from the life of our diocese, check Diocesanlife....ONLINE; and Bethlehem
News.
Lent... Saints... and Style
Bishop Paul V.Marshall
[Diocesan Life, Febrary 1997]
There are a number of things on my mind as I sit down to write
this month's column, so I hope you will bear with me and my three "columnettes."
A SPECIAL KIND OF SELFISHNESS That's right, selfishness. One of
the biggest gifts our way of worshipping, of keeping time,
gives us during the course of the year is Lent, the season that
begins soon with Ash Wednesday There is so much unhelpful thinking
about Lent left over from another day, that it is hard to get to
its kernel sometimes. Lent is not about giving up Hershey Bars
so that Jesus will suffer less. Lent is not a diet (exchanging
the sin of gluttony for that of vanity somehow misses the mark.)
Lent is not a time of self-hate. In fact, does not the collect
say, "God, who hatest nothing thou hast made?"
Lent is about taking the time, making the time, to re-center our
lives. We do less, we party less, we may indeed eat and drink less,
all to have time to realign our body, mind, and spirit. That is
what might be called the passive side of Lent. There is an active
side, what the ancients called a time of spiritual warfare. Those
things that keep us from loving God and our neighbors -- those
sins -- we turn from, and struggle to eliminate from our lives.
That may indeed seem like war at times, but we wage it knowing
whose victory we may rely on to see us through.
The third emphasis of Lent is preparation for Easter, getting
our spiritual houses in order so that we may properly rejoice.
I was so busy with my new duties last fall that I must confess
that I missed the joy of Christmas to some extent. Never
again: God means to shape us through our rejoicing as much as through
our self-examination and meditation. Arranging my life so that
I can rejoice at Easter will be an important Lenten discipline
for me.
What do you need to receive spiritually? Lent is the time to come
closer to God so that you may receive it. So in a special sense,
let's get selfish.
A SAINTLY MAN PASSES
"Fella, I wouldn't have missed the Episcopal Church for anything."
I was sorry to read that the Rt. Rev. William Hampton Brady died
on December 23, at the age of 84. When many doors were closing
in my life, Bishop Brady offered me the hospitality of the Episcopal
Church, and ordained me deacon and priest. He would have been a
co-consecrator here last summer, except for his illness.
Bishop Brady was in many ways the model of a bishop as our prayer
book describes one. He was before all else a servant of Jesus Christ,
and attempts to deflect him from that identity were firmly rejected.
His diocese, Fond du Lac, was and is for many people the apex of
Anglo-Catholicism. Nonetheless, he never let ritual or churchiness
replace God. He was also a pastor to his clergy and to a large
number of the laity during his (astounding) twenty-seven years
as coadjutor and diocesan bishop.
A story will perhaps illustrate why his memory is so dear to me.
Bishop Brady started the diocese's Eucharistic Festival, and always
invited everyone in the diocese to attend what would have to be
called a high-church extravaganza. After the elaborate liturgy
and processions, he fed the entire diocesan hot dogs and lemonade.
The liturgy was very rich in movement, color, and music. In 1978,
at the middle of this wonderful and complex service, the bishop
stood up and brought the proceedings to a halt. In his wonderful
gravelly southern accent, he noted that some adults in the congregation
seemed to be troubled by the natural movement and sounds of very
young children whom he encouraged to be present. He said that if
children bother you in church, you aren't ready for Heaven, where
he was sure that there were many children. His observation was
so moving that I later originated it, as I did his observation
coming out of the 1979 General Convention: "Fella, I wouldn't have
missed the Episcopal Church for anything." May he rest in peace.
THE QUESTION BOX We all have a style, I suppose, but two related
questions about my style came up recently. The first was, "Why
don't you look me in the eye when you give me communion?"
The answer, for me, is very simple. The actual reception of Holy
Communion isn't about you and me, it is about you and Jesus, and
I will do nothing to deflect attention or veneration from where
we need to direct it, to the Lord who gives you his body and blood
in the sacrament.
The second question is related. "Why don't you smile more in the
liturgy?" Of course, some times I am just tired. But the real answer
is like the first, in a way. In the parts of the service that are
about interpersonal communication, things like the Peace and the
sermon, I put as much of myself into the moment as I can -- it
has even been reported that occasionally I display a sense of humor.
But the liturgy has very solemn moments, too, moments when we
are together to stand in awe of Almighty God. At those times we
are all to direct our attention to what lies beyond our immediate
surroundings, and I will not do what could distract either of us
from where we are best focused. Processions, for instance, are
parades in honor of God, a gathering of hearts and minds for worship,
and while making a special contact may occasionally be appropriate,
processions are generally not meant to be opportunities to "work
the room."
There may well be perfectly fine reasons for doing things other
ways, other basic principles and applications, but these are what
are important to me as I strive to serve God's people in our worship.
(return to Bishop Paul's Columns
Index)
Please direct any
questions or comments to the webmaster@diobeth.org
