St Margaret of Scotland - Friday, 16 Nov-07.

Margaret of Scotland was an asylum seeker of her day. She arrived in this country via England and married Malcolm, King of Scots (Colm Mor). She was cultured and spoke English and Latin. Indeed, she arrived from England with her Confessor in tow. Malcolm was uncultured and had no English and spoke only the Gaelic. Margaret set about trying to restore the RC faith in Scotland, which did not go down well at all, until she endeared herself to the Scots by identifying with the poor and dispossessed and affording a safe haven and free ferry for pilgrims at what we now know as Queensferry. Such pilgrims were guests within the castle at Dunfermline. There is still a ferry there and Margaret had a chapel also within Edinburgh Castle. Today that chapel is used daily for prayer and is cared for by a large group of women on a rota, all called Margaret by name. They pray, keep the chapel clean and provide fresh flowers daily there. For a country which is predominantly Protestant and Presbyterian, this is remarkable. But then, Margaret was remarkable and her faith paid off and influenced others. The ancient Roman faith is still practiced in Scotland. In the Scottish Episcopal Church we have a number of dedications to her, notably near me in Glasgow, St Margaret of Scotland Scottish Episcopal Church, Newlands.

Another busy time as I have just completed all the mounds of documents for our own congregational AGM on Tuesday, 20/11/07 and will take the bus into Glasgow at lunchtime to go to the Diocesan Office, where Christine and Jean have kindly agreed to photocopy packs of papers for the AGM, including a Voting paper and a letter to the congregation inviting comments about the sort of person we seek for a new Rector. They then cannae say we
have'nae asked them! Ha ha.

Confession and Reconciliation for Scots Episcopalians

Day by day I pray personally, usually using an Office to guide me, and ask for God's forgiveness for sins I feel I have committed; often unwittingly. Weekly at the Holy Eucharist we have corporate Confession as well as personal Confession. The Rector and Assistant Priest are also available to hear Confessions. However, since the Reformation it has never been a regular occurrence in the Scottish Episcopal Church. For example, no Scots Episcopal Church that I know of, has a confessional box, which is a common sight in Roman Catholic churches. Even in the RC Church, Confession is not as frequent as it used to be, well, in Scotland, although in other countries, notably Malta GC, it still is. RC personal Confessions are heard before Holy Communion. In our reformed tradition ( we used to be 'protestant' whatever that means today ), now reformed catholic and episcopal; emphasis has always been made on corporate Confession at the beginning of the Holy Eucharist. If we are contrite, we receive absolution via the priest who pronounces it with the sign of the Cross.

The Invitation to Holy Communion has a Responsory: 'Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the Word, and I shall be healed," which we all repeat before receiving Holy Communion. As a psychoanalyst by training I believe an interesting phenomena occurs during the Administration. The Episcopal, as well as the Anglican words intoned by the Celebrant as he profers the Host etc are..'the body of Christ given for you....preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life...' and so on, result in us feeling and experiencing that, with the taking in of bread and wine, we take in the body and blood of Christ. So, by introjection the unconscious experience of Christ within us, becomes us or, to use psychoanalytical jargon, it becomes ego-syntonic. This is no different at all from the RC view. Whatever you believe, by God's Grace, we are changed by the unconscious and inner experience. If you watch folk coming away from the altar rail after receiving HC you see that some are pensive, some serious, some quietly content, all are pre-occupied, some in tears and emotional, some walk away quickly back into external reality. Children are the most interesting. If they are not receiving HC but come for a Blessing from the Celebrant, they all take it seriously and watch, open-eyed, as to what is happening to the grown-ups kneeling at the rail. Even the hyper-active ones are quiet and wait to be Blessed, then skip away down the aisle with their parents or fellow Sunday School children. Indeed, all, children and adults recognise that they - we, have experienced something uniquely different in our everyday lives. All Christians say they miss it if they cannot come to church. Christians going on holiday nowadays always check on the .net to see where they can attend church for the Holy Eucharist - yes, it continues to be important - THE important experience in our lives. Therefore, I see a natural and seamless connection between feeling contrite, Confession, Absolution and the 'Holy Mystery' of receving HC during the Eucharist. I have asked folk if it is important to them or not. All regular Communicants say emphatically that it IS important in their lives, although many can't describe why or what has happened to them. This is because it is an 'Holy Mystery', as the Rubric of the Scottish Prayer Book calls it, so it is difficult to find earthly words to define the experience. This is common in my practice as a psychoanalyst. I have defined it as 'the space between words' and I often allude to the 'Holy Mystery' of an inner experience that can't be described normally. It doesn't mean it is less important. On the contrary, it is MORE important than words can describe. It is highly subjective, experientially, and so personal, which is what it is all about for the Christian. We all continue to seek God's Grace and continue to confess and seek reconciliation over and over. Amen.

Wednesday, 14/11/07 - St John of the Cross

Today is the Feast of St John of the Cross. It always reminds me of the famous Dali painting which hangs in the Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow, now the most visited venue in the country, even beating Edinburgh Castle and Culzean Castle. John was a Priest and Teacher of the Faith. I often wonder what such people were like. The nearest analogy is someone we all know about, and that is Mother Theresa of Calcutta and her nuns in Glasgow. She used to send her nuns to Third World countries to nurse the sick and dying on the streets. When Thatcher closed down all the Local Authority Hostels for the homeless, the homeless were ousted onto the streets throughout the UK. 'Cardboard cities' sprang up and rough sleepers became the norm, to the shame of the UK. Mother Theresa announced that we also are now of Third World status and so her Communities developed. I was privileged to work with one of her nuns in Glasgow and visited the Community House in Glasgow.

Remembrance Sunday, 11 Nov-07

Normally we don't attend church on this day of the year as, in memory of those who died we watch and take part in the Service at the Cenotaph in London. We do this in memory of my late father, and the fact I was in the British Army myself. It was also the last day for our Rector and his wife before they move to their farm at Sliddery on the Isle of Arran. It was an eomtional time for both of them and their family. We had refreshments, including a beautifully baked cake from Morag MacLaughlin before seh went in hospital for a knee replacement. The cake was iced and decorated with a lovely Celtic cross by Morag Hobbs of East Kilbride. Speeches were made and presentations to the Rector and his wife Sheenah. A sad time, but they feel they need to move on. Sheenah was very upset to say goodbye but I said it was just a marker in time and we all have invitations plus a guide map to visit them when sailing in the islands, which cheered her up no end.

P.S. - Friday, 09 Nov-07

As part of my continuing journeying I have approached a Religious Community down in England with a view of becoming a Companion to the Community. This term denotes someone who remains in their own community and carries on with their own life yet adheres to the Community Rule. This was done after much thought and prayer. The Assistant Priest at my Scottish Episcopal Church is most supportive to my idea, which is a great help. There are plenty of such Communities here in Glasgow, but they are RC and RCs will not allow Christians to receive Holy Communion who are not RC. Although I am a catholic, I am an Episcopal catholic, not a Roman one. Silly distinction in this day and age, but there you are. I had discussed it also with a Roman Catholic priest friend and he was most supportive. The Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield in Yorkshire, north England, is an Anglican monastic Community and Anglican Theological College.

Also spoke to John Woodhouse via Skype as he had been trying to contact me. He had a bad fall in Battersea Park the other day, damaging his upper lip and a tooth. He looks a bit battle worn and it has certainly shaken him up. It was good to talk to him, and Valerie popped over my shoulder to be introduced to him also. It'll be good to keep contact.

Friday, 09 Nov-07

Had an extra-ordinary meeting of the Vestry the other evening, chaired by the Diocesan Dean, the Very Revd Dr Gregor Duncan, to air people's worries and to peruse the vacancy procedure for the appointment of a new Rector. Bishop Idris and the Dean seem keen to appoint a full-time Rector with us. Gregor intimated that 'we should not assume we need to advertise', which of course, led to all sorts of speculations as to whom they had in mind. Either way I feel we should advertise as we need to be seen to be above board. I shall suggest we just advertise in 'Inspires' the Provincial magazine as we need a priest who is familiar with the Scottish Church's practices.
Advertising in England and Ireland will attract a lot of evangelical priests, who would not really fit in with our needs as we are more catholic. The two evangelical churches in Scotland, namely St Silas, Glasgow, and St Thomas, Corstorphine are evangelical as they were both built to serve English Hanovarian troops sent to Scotland to quell the rebellious Scots who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie ( who was RC ) and to impose English Penal Laws on Scottish Episcopalians who refused to say prayers for the English monarchy! St Silas served the soldiers garrisoned in nearby Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow. St Silas to this day, uses the English Liturgy and refuses to call itself Scottish Episcopal Church. At one time, in the '70's it said it only had allegiance to the Bishop of Carlisle, down south in England! Bishop Derek Rawcliffe, then Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway, regulated ther anomaly so that they came under his jurisdiction. However, they are still ambivalent about us Scots, and we of them, I suppose.
Anyway we outlined a rough timetable to produce a church profile and job description but it will not be done this side of the end of February as we have Advent and Christmas coming quickly and the Vestry need to get over the congregational AGM on the 20th November and 'Kirk' the new Vestry so work cannot really start until December this year.

Today I met Alec, our Fabric Convener / People's Warden at the Rectory to begin an inventory. Unfortunately this was not possible as Paul, our Rector seemed unclear about what was staying and what was leaving for store etc, and when he would vacate the premises. We are in no rush either but his tenancy cannot go on indefinitely. He has his barn in the Isle of Arran but it is not completely watertight so the Vestry agreed to allow some belongings to remain. We may have to impose a date of complete removal of affects. Alec then gave me a lift to Busby village where I was to collect Valerie from the hairdresser's but she had lft there so I walked back home on a clear, although cold autumnal day.