As I’m sure most if not all of you know, I trained for ordination at the College of Resurrection at Mirfield. At the time I was there, the college was unique amongst Church of England theological colleges and one of the ways in which it was unique is that it was the only college which was attached to and run by a monastic community, the Community of the Resurrection. Because of that, the college was run along the same lines as the Community. Every student had duties in the college that we were required to carry out. In my first year, for example, I was the college Stationer, the Transport Officer and an Assistant Sacristan. But in addition to that, every student was required to help out with other duties, cleaning, gardening, making up rooms, working in the library and so on. In my final year at Mirfield I was the College Sacristan which was one of the most time-consuming offices to hold. That meant I didn’t have to help out with general chores around the college, but I was also the college Pilgrimage Officer that year too. And of course in addition to all this we still had to study, to attend lectures, write essays and revise for and sit exams. So being an ordinand at Mirfield meant being very busy.
I’m sure you’ll have noticed that so far, I’ve missed something out from my description of life as an ordinand at Mirfield; I’ve not mentioned the spiritual side of life there. But that was just as full. We were required to attend Morning and Evening Prayer every day. There was a daily Mass which we were expected to attend. On high days and holy days, we were required to pray and worship with the Community which meant additional times of prayer and worship. In our final year, we were sent on attachment to a local parish where we were required to join in with parish life too. For me that meant that after Morning Prayer and Mass at Mirfield on Sunday morning, I had to get to my attachment parish to worship there too. That sometimes meant another two Masses because it was a united benefice. I also attended one of their midweek masses, preached, led intercessions, took out home communions and visited the local school to lead RE lessons. So life as an ordinand at Mirfield was very full and very busy. It was, as my personal tutor Fr Peter Allen used to say, ‘Relentless’.
The purpose of all this was to teach us just how full and busy parish life can be, and it did that very well. But perhaps the most important lesson that Mirfield tried to teach us was, in the midst of so much going on that had to be done, how not to be too busy for God. How in the midst of all the business and busyness of college and church life, to be quiet and still and simply be with the Lord.
For me, at least, Mirfield was simply a wonderful place to be. The worship there, to me, was a joy to be part of. In fact, whenever I hear or sing the hymn, O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, it reminds me of the beauty and holiness of the worship at Mirfield. But we found time to simply be, at Mirfield, through silence too. Being part of the community meant that we were in silence after the final Office of the day, Compline, until after breakfast the following morning, with the exception of Morning Prayer and Mass of course. On high days and holy days, there would be no lectures and apart from prayer and worship, we’d be in silence all day. And every year we had to go on retreat for a week where, again apart from prayer and worship, we were in silence from after our evening meal on the first day until after breakfast on the last day.
And that was Mirfield; a place where the pace of life was relentless; a place where there always seemed to be something more to do and not really enough time to do it in. A place where there was so much to do. And yet, at the same time, a place where there was always time and space to do nothing except simply be with the Lord, in the beauty and holiness of worship, and of the place itself in many ways, and in silence.
I think it would be wonderful if we could bring something of that life, that Mirfield way, into parish life. But when I’ve mentioned this to people over the years a lot have said it’s not practical. They’ve said that living that way in the ivory tower of Mirfield is one thing, doing it in the real world of parish life is something else entirely. I admit that being in a theological college run by monks is not the same as being in a parish, but I don’t accept that we can’t bring something of that way of life, at least, into parish life. But we have to want to do it.
I must be honest and say that I don’t think the Church itself is particularly helpful in this respect. The Church often speaks of the need to stop doing and simply be, doesn’t it? And yet, at the same time, the Church is not only constantly urging us to do more but expecting us to do more. To use imagery from this morning’s Gospel, the Church asks us to take a break from being Martha’s and take some time to be Mary’s. But, at the same time, the Church constantly distracts us from doing that by asking, and even expecting, more and more from us.
I’m not saying that what the Church is asking us to do is wrong. We’re being asked, for example, to engage more with our communities and become that visible, serving presence in our communities that we should be. And good things are being done in this respect in this benefice. Good things are being done at St Mark’s through allowing community groups to use the church. That’s raised St Mark’s profile in the community; more people now know that we and the church are here than was the case a few years ago, and that can only help us to proclaim the Gospel. Good things are being done at St Gabriel’s especially through social events and events for children and young people, and that’s being reflected in an increase in Sunday congregations which again can only help us in our proclamation of the Gospel. These are good things and that’s why I’ve encouraged them and will continue to encourage them. But in the midst of all this busyness we have to find the time and space to stop doing and simply be with the Lord. And that’s something we still need to work at.
One thing I’ve noticed since coming to this benefice is what I can only describe as a lack of any great sense of the holiness of our churches. I must say that I’ve noticed exactly the same thing in many other places too, so this isn’t a problem in this benefice only. What I mean by this is, when we come to church to pray and worship, we come into a holy place, a place dedicated to God; we literally do stand on holy ground. We come to church to meet the Lord in word and sacrament. We come as Mary’s, to sit at the feet of the Lord, and listen to him. And yet, and I’ve said this so many times, before services begin, our churches are more like market places than places of prayer and worship. They’re full of people talking, and talking loudly at that, about all sorts of things except the Lord. Of course we have other things to do, including business concerning the church, but when we come to church to pray and worship, those other can wait until after we’ve done what we’re here to do, until after we’ve worshipped the Lord in holiness, hopefully in the beauty of holiness.
And we can find that holiness, that time to be like Mary and be with the Lord, here, in this benefice. The problem is that very few people are taking advantage of the opportunities to do that.
As you know, we have a monthly healing liturgy in the benefice, a service in which there’s a time of silent prayer during which people receive the laying on of hands and anointing for healing and the forgiveness of sins. In the past we’ve had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament here, a time of silent prayer in the presence of the Lord in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Earlier this year, we had a service of Benediction, a service during which we have a time of prayer and silent reflection before the Blessed Sacrament which ends with being blessed by the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. All these things are very powerful ways in which we can simply be with the Lord. Ways in which we can experience his presence with us through the laying on of hands and anointing or in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. And yet these services have not been very well attended at all. Perhaps in the past these very simple and yet very powerful ways to be with the Lord and experience his presence with us were neglected here. For example, to have Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament we need a monstrance. Well we have one, at St Mark’s. But how many even of St Mark’s congregation knew that before I found it lying on it’s side, broken and covered in dust, on top of the wardrobe in the Vicar’s Vestry? Not many I’m assuming, or I wouldn’t have found it where I did, nor in the condition I did. And such neglect is, again, I think indicative of a lack of any great sense of holiness, the holiness of the place, the holiness of what we do in this place and the holiness of the things we use in what we do in this place. And this is something we also need to work on.
Of course I know that there are times when we have to be like Martha and be busy with the day-to-day business of the church and the parish. And there are some very good things happening in this benefice in this respect. But in being busy with business, we mustn’t allow ourselves to neglect the spiritual side of being disciples of Christ and a Church. So we have to make sure that we do take the time to simply be with the Lord, to lay the busyness of business aside for a time and come into the Lord’s presence and experience his presence with us. There are opportunities to do that here, in this benefice, so make the most of them. Don’t neglect to take that better part that Mary chose but take the opportunities you have to come into the Lord’s presence and simply be with the Lord.
Amen.
Propers for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, 20th July 2025
Entrance Antiphon
See, I have God for my help.
The Lord sustains my soul.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart,
and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.
The Collect
Show favour, O Lord, to your servants,
and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Readings
Genesis 18:1-10
Psalm 15:2-5
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42
Prayer after Communion
Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord,
and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries,
to pass from former ways to newness of life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Parish Church of St Mark Chadderton 