Bishop Peter's sermon at the renewal of Ordination Vows at St Canice's Cathedral on Maundy Thursday 2004

"It is good to be here"

Like to thank the Dean & Cathedral authorities for their assistance with this special service.

Thank our two Liturgical Officers, Dermot & Roy, for their helpfulness in preparing this Service and indeed other innovative liturgical matters as we welcome our new Prayer Book.

Like to thank each of you for making and taking the time to be here. I hope and pray that for all of you, as it is for me, together we can say: ‘Lord, it is indeed good to be here' (Matthew 17:4).

On my behalf as your undeserving Bishop and on behalf of your people, I say thank you for your leadership and pastoral care in your parishes.

The sacredness of our calling

We gather in faithfulness to an ancient tradition in the Church, when the Bishop, with his deacons and priests gather in Holy Week, usually Maundy Thursday.

We are together for the specific purpose of celebrating the eucharist, the joy and delight of priesthood; to renew our ordination vows and to bless the oil of healing.

In so doing, we are personally and collectively, bearing witness to the sacredness and seriousness of our calling to the sacred ministry of the Church and to our unity in Christ in the Church through the office of the Bishop.

. Sacredness and seriousness are two words I wish to reflect on now.

Sacredness

Sacredness has to do with the holy: primarily, the holiness of God.

The holiness of God is part of his essential character as revealed in the pages of Holy Scripture.

It is pithily but pertinently captured by this saying of the Hebrew God: ‘Be holy as I am holy.' (Leviticus 11:44)

It is of course picked up in the life of the new covenant where we read ‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people.' (1 Peter 2:9)

The proclamation of word and sacrament

Part of our vocation consists in giving meaning to the rest of that famous Petrine text-

‘in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' (ibid)

My brothers and sisters, this is at the heart of our calling –to proclaim in word and sacrament; in prayer and service; in sorrow and in joy, the One who is the light of the cosmos.

This cannot be done in our own strength; it is all of grace. Pure, undeserved grace as we open ourselves and are opened out and up by others and circumstances to the life of the Holy Spirit within us.

The call to Holiness

In short, it is the call to holiness; to consecration of life so that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our ascended, gifting Lord, may indeed abide in us for the sake of the Kingdom.

Neglect not the gift of the Giver of all good things; the presence within of the grace for and of ministry.

In short, beloved in Christ, pray earnestly and daily for the Holy Spirit to be within each of us in gentle power so that slowly but surely, we are being transformed into the ‘holy people' God wishes to become.

Holy not for our own sake. Rather, holy for the sake of the people it is our duty to serve, not least the trying and tiresome ones. The Holy Spirit who graced you at ordination is within you.

Seriousness

Which of us is serious enough, inwardly and outwardly, for the process of sanctification ?

How easy it is for me to say these words and to utter them in all sincerity and yet, in the same breath, to draw back in fear.

But we are called to seriousness as well as to sanctity: there is no getting away from it. But the way is shown to us-

It is the way of humility. Of a ‘down-to-earthiness' which takes not self too seriously. Rather, is gentle and understanding with weakness, in self and in others.

Treasure in earthen vessels

It is understanding of frailty; but not to merely stay stuck as if it doesn't matter, or can't be changed.

No. There is a clear awareness that our ministry, is not about success as the world knows it.

Rather, it is about fruitfulness which is intimately related to faithfulness. But a faithfulness which is acquainted with the rhythms of brokenness and indeed, apparent failure.

The Apostle explains that such a treasure ‘is in earthen vessels' (2 Cor 4:7). The ‘seriousness' of our calling lies precisely in the knowledge that truly, it is ‘when we are weak that we are strong' (2 Cor 12:10 ), for God and others.

May the Holy Spirit continue to bless us.