Come, let us adore Him
A Christmas Message
23rd December 2005
From the Most Reverend John Hepworth
Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion
EVERY now and then, an article appears that speaks of the Holy Land as a "melting pot of religions". This is quite a silly claim. The Holy Land remains just as it was when Jesus walked its length and breadth. Each religion remains starkly clear and true to itself. Each religion continues to contest its claims.
So it was with the ancient religions that surrounded the People of God in Israel. So it was with the imported religions of the Greeks and Romans. So it was when the Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was ringed with crosses, and the cry of those who fled to Masada was "No surrender!"
So it is now. The great religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity remain at war in the lands of the Bible, as we who live elsewhere look on helplessly as historic hatreds flow over lands walked by the Son of God with His prophets and His angels. How used we have become to Bethlehem with Guns and soldiers and barbed wire!
God came down at Christmas, and faithful shepherds heard the Christ child cry. Were they among the fist-shakers who passed by His Cross? Christmas, with its crib and its swaddling clothes, forces our minds from the baby to the purpose for which he came.
We must do two things this Advent and Christmas.
In the first place, we must create in our inner lives, in our families, and in our communities of Grace, the peace "beyond all understanding" which is the gift to those who have knowledge of the Son of God. As the hostility of strange gods and false worship swirls around us again, we do not fight or bomb, but offer the vision of the New Testament: "See how they love one another!".
And in the second place, we must proclaim to those who still dwell in the shadows where God is seen dimly that there is a Light, illuminating the narrow pathway into the realms of God, and that Light is the Christ, the Son of God. Those who live in the greatest darkness need His Light most of all. And we must be fearless in shining His Light in the darkest places.
From the Baby of Bethlehem comes illumination in the things of God and the things of humankind. In a world that craves illumination, let us fearlessly sing to those who do not believe: "Come, let us adore Him!"
Ieva, Nic, Alex and Anna join me in wishing you a richly blessed Christmas.
+John
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Vatican warns dissenting Catholic Colleges may lose 'Catholic' status
4 th November 2005
THE Vatican's number two education official predicts that Pope Benedict XVI will follow a path of "evangelical pruning" of secularized Catholic colleges and universities, declaring them no longer Catholic. Archbishop Michael Miller, secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education and former president of the University of Saint Thomas in Houston, addressed officials and faculty at the University of Notre Dame on Monday. Archbishop Miller said that his prediction was based on an examination of the new Pope's writings and approach. He said, the Pope has argued "that it might be better for the Church not to expend its resources trying to preserve institutions if their Catholic identity has been seriously compromised." In the Holy Father's view, "the measure of an institution can be judged by its Catholic integrity," Archbishop Miller said. If the institution secularizes, "it might be a matter of truth and justice that such an institution is no longer upheld. if a Catholic institution is no longer motivated by a Catholic identity, it is better to let it go." "The burden of proof falls on the university itself," he added. "Such a decision to retain one's Catholic identity is not about maintaining the status quo, but [rather] making positive changes." Contrary to the pattern of many Church leaders, who have waited patiently for improvements in Catholic higher education, the Pope "appears to be more inclined to avoid scandal and lead a path of evangelical pruning, but we don't know. We await." Patrick J. Reilly, President of the Cardinal Newman Society, a national organization to strengthen and renew Catholic identity at U.S. Catholic colleges and universities, commented: "The Cardinal Newman Society has long sought 'truth in advertising' from Catholic colleges and universities, and we have always allied ourselves with the Vatican and the U.S. bishops in this pursuit. The evidence of secularization that we have exposed for more than 12 years is overwhelming and clearly warrants a strong response from Church leaders. "The 'wait and see' approach generously relied on the goodwill of Catholic educators, but it has only allowed disunity and dissent in the Church to go unchallenged, with disastrous consequences for Catholic students and their families."
Source: The Universe
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