CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL ~ PILGRIMAGE Then and Now

Transcription

1 CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL ~ PILGRIMAGE Then and Now INTRODUCTION Our Journey for the next 45 minutes will take us to six locations in the cathedral, and one outside. As we make our way through the Quire and down the Nave, we ll have a brief reflection on each one, a prayer, and then a mindful journey together in silence to reflect, be aware, and be open to whatever the Spirit might be saying to us. Pilgrimage Then TEXT by Revd Canon Rob Mackintosh PRAYERS by Rupert Bristow - Probably began with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John at Jesus empty tomb; and with the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. - In the C4th, Emperor Constantine s mother Helena made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She brought back relics from Jerusalem that were venerated in Rome. - By the time of Gregory the Great (end of C6th), pilgrims were coming to Rome in increasing numbers to the Tomb of St Peter, St. Paul, S. Lawrence and many others. - By the middle of the C7th, Anglo-Saxon Pilgrims were coming to Canterbury and on to Rome in ever increasing numbers. - After the death of Thomas a Becket in 1170, Canterbury Cathedral became the centre of a pilgrimage explosion (vide Chaucer s Canterbury Tales) - In Canterbury and the whole of England, pilgrimage came to a shuddering halt with Henry VIII in Protestants weren t into either relics or pilgrimages. 1

2 Pilgrimage Now Why the present-day passion for pilgrimage? A revival is under way worldwide, with pilgrim numbers rising even as church- going figures fall. In 1985, 2,491 people received the certificate of completion for their pilgrimage to Santiago de Comostela. In 2010, more than 270,000 did so, a period of less than 30 years. Pilgrimage represents "a return of imperfectly deleted religion". The memory somehow lingers on. If you walked the Camino to Santiago for several days, it would be hard to find a single Christian among the throng of pilgrims on the road. Present-day Pilgrimage seems to speak at some level to the late- modern experience of displacement. THE PILGRIM WAY The word 'pilgrim' is from Latin: peregrines, ( per= through + ager =field, land), meaning a stranger or foreigner on a journey. A Defn: Pilgrim -- A religious devotee who journeys to a shrine or sacred place; a person who embarks on a quest for something conceived of as sacred; a traveller. A traveller on a journey. But where to? In our Christian tradition, "Pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to a sacred site" - but the journey is as important as it's end. On our own journey on the Emmaus Road Jesus comes to us as our travelling companion. An old English rhyme offers pilgrims this advice: Who to Rome goes, Much labour, little profit knows. For God, on earth though long you sought him, You ll miss in Rome - unless you brought him Let us also remain aware of our travelling companions, and the places we pass by. Rowan Williams: "Place works on the pilgrim that's what pilgrimage is for." Let us hold this in our hearts and minds as we prepare now for a pilgrimage that begins, rather than ends, in the Cathedral. 2

3 A Prayer of Preparation God of great expectations, as we embark on this journey may we see through fresh eyes; may we sense you calling us onwards; may we wonder at the work of your Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have gone before; and may we rejoice at the impact of the faithful. Grant us the inspiration to sense the presence of saints and sinners and pilgrims before us. 3

4 1. ST THOMAS A BECKET - THE END OF PILGRIMAGE IN ENGLAND In T.S. Eliot's powerful drama, Murder in the Cathedral, Becket faces a final temptation to seek martyrdom for earthly glory and revenge. With real insight into his life situation, Thomas responds: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason. Pilgrimage to or from Canterbury Cathedral ended abruptly with the destruction of Becket s Shrine in Henry VIII resolved to permanently end the Catholic religion throughout England. All centres of Catholicism such as monasteries were to be "put beyond use" (i.e. destroyed) and all ordinary centres of worship brought under his personal control. Almost every Holy shrine in England was destroyed, since these were shrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and the centres of pilgrimage for very large numbers of travellers. St Thomas Becket - A Prayer Lord God, You gave grace to your servant Thomas Becket To put aside all earthly fear And be faithful even to death: Grant that we, disregarding worldly esteem, May fight all wrong, Uphold your rule, And serve you to our life s end; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. St Thomas Becket's shrine was the most important of all, and the largest and most valuable shrine in England. It became the focus of a policy of royal destruction that extended across the whole country. Now, a single candle burns to mark the place of Becket s former shrine. Today, pilgrimage may have less to do with the relics of saints, and more to do with a personal search for God, or for the meaning for one s life in a changing world. What is it that brings YOU here at this time? 4

5 2. St AUGUSTINE S CHAIR Jesus sat when he taught. His disciples sat at his feet. A cathedral takes its name from the Latin word cathedra, a chair. The chair of the bishop is what makes a church a cathedral, the place from which he speaks ex cathedra to his clergy, the people, and sometimes to the nation. The chair is named after the first Archbishop of Canterbury, St Augustine. It is made from Petworth marble, and is Norman, dating back to It replaced an earlier cathedra destroyed in a fire the century before. Since an early period, Augustne s Chair has always had a place in the triple enthronement of an Archbishop of Canterbury. He is seated on the throne in the choir as Diocesan Bishop, in the chapter house as titular abbot, and in St. Augustine's chair as Primate of All England. This is the only occasion in which this cathedra is used. The enthronement in St Augustine's Chair has come to represent also the Archbishop of Canterbury's position as worldwide spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Rowan Williams once remarked that the chair is a symbol of the difficulty of occupying the office of Archbishop. No one sits comfortably in this chair. If you sit forward on the edge of the seat so that your legs tough the ground, then your back has no place to rest. If you sit back, you feet dangle in the air. For all who hold positions of leadership, this is both a reassurance, and it is also a challenge. St Augustine s Chair - a Prayer God of pilgrimage and purpose, as we linger at Augustine's chair, let us take a moment to imagine things said from here, by Archbishops over the ages. May the spirit of Augustine be always in the hearts and minds of those who visit this place, so that we can better understand the responsibility that comes with authority, the sacrifice that comes with faith, and the glory that comes with your Truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who revealed your true nature to the world. 5

6 3. ST ALPHEGE Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, martyr (1012) Born in 954 of noble parents who gave him a good education, Alphege became a monk at Deerhurst in Gloucestershire, before becoming a hermit in Somerset for some years and then the Abbot of Bath. After a period as Bishop of Winchester he was translated to Canterbury as archbishop. The Danes captured Canterbury in September 1012, and Alphege was captured and held to ransom. Refusing to pay and forbidding his people to do so, he was killed by the Danes at Greenwich. The raiding- army became much stirred up against the bishop, because he did not want to offer them any money, and forbade that anything might be granted in return for him. Also they were very drunk, because there was wine brought from the south. Then they seized the bishop, led him to their "hustings"[b] on the Saturday in the octave of Easter, and then pelted him there with bones and the heads of cattle; and one of them struck him on the head with the butt of an axe, so that with the blow he sank down and his holy blood fell on the earth, and sent forth his holy soul to God's kingdom. St Alphege a Prayer Almighty God, we honour the wise ministry, humble service and great courage of your servant Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. May we learn from the way he treated others, his resistance of evil and his integrity, even unto death. We remember Alphege as one who followed the example of Christ his Lord, in giving his own life for the sake of others. 6

7 4. THE COMPASS ROSE Pilgrims who gather around the Compass Rose, embedded in the nave floor, find themselves standing within the perimeter of England's first cathedral built since the end of Roman Britain. The Compass Rose is a symbol identifying those who belong to the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Compass Rose was dedicated by Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie at the final Eucharist of the Lambeth Conference in Symbolism The centre of the Compass Rose contains the cross of St. George and is surrounded by the inscription in Greek, "The truth shall set you free." We are at the centre of a vast and thriving Communion, that turns to Canterbury for encouragement, for spiritual support and for guidance. The points of the compass reflect the spread of Anglican Christianity throughout the world. The mitre at the top indicates the role of Episcopacy and Anglican Order that is at the heart of the traditions of the Churches of the Communion The Compass Rose reminds us that we are not alone. Canterbury is a destination and the starting place for pilgrimage. Augustine of Hippo reminds us: We come to God, not by navigation, but by love The Compass Rose a Prayer God of interior and exterior, Here in this great place dedicated to Christ the King, we come to circle the Compass Rose, where we can be sure Augustine's structure stood. May the symbol indicate meaning and continuity, distance and direction. And if we could turn back time, as you can, Lord, we pray that the still centre of this place always was, and will remain, the still small voice of God in our hearts. 7

8 5. AUGUSTINE S CHAPEL Augustine built both a cathedral to worship in, and a priory for his monks and clergy to live in. This chapel, dedicated to St Augustine, is beyond the perimeter of Augustine s original church. Nor was he buried here. Roman Law forbade the burial of the dead within a city, and so he was buried instead in St Augustine s Abbey, beyond the city wall. But this Chapel is well placed as it is, close by the Cathedral s Great West Door, because it reminds us that Augustine came first and foremost at the invitation of King Aethelberht and Queen Bertha, as a missionary to bring Good News to the Saxon peoples of Kent. For us, on our pilgrimage here today, the Cathedral is our starting place, not our resting place. The world beyond the West Door awaits us. St Augustine s Chapel a Prayer God of challenge and clash, may we remember that this has been a place of spiritual and temporal warfare over the centuries. Safety and security often rested here while all around was danger. And sometimes this was a dangerous place - for Becket, and for the city at war; yet here was also refuge for Huguenots, a centre of World Peace, and a source of music and prayer which, in your grace, continues Augustine's work of outreach and worship to the far reaches of the Anglican Communion. 8

9 6. WATER STOUP near South-west DOOR This holy water stoup was created by the artist Stephen Cox and installed in It stands by the first pillar inside the door of the south- west porch, so it is the first thing most visitors see on entering the building. (It commemorates the life of Canon Ferdie Phillips MC who served as honorary canon of Canterbury cathedral from 1966 to 1984, with a special role as Cathedral Almoner.) The stoup is carved from Green Antique Egyptian Breccia, This stone was extracted from a remote Egyptian site that lies between Luxor and the Red Sea. It is recognised as the source of the earliest quarried decorative stone in the world. Significance This is the first holy water stoup to appear in Canterbury Cathedral since the Reformation. It reconnects us with events in 1538, where our journey began. But also, this desert stone connects us with Jesus flight into Egypt as a young child, and his own wilderness experience after his baptism in the Jordan River. Endings and Beginnings a Prayer All-seeing God, help us to discern where this ending may lead, as we continue our own pilgrimage path. Give us the will and the opportunity to reflect on our staging posts and rejoice in our companions. Give us the capacity and desire to view through Augustine's eyes, feel through Gregory's hopes and fears, and to see our Christian heritage afresh, by your grace. It also reminds us of our own struggles and joys, on our life- long journey beyond the Cathedral Door. 9

10 7. VIA FRANCIGENA The Via Francigena is the ancient route from Canterbury to Rome, followed both by archbishops, travelling to Rome to receive from the pope their symbols of authority, and also by pilgrims journeying from Canterbury to Rome. It was first described by Archbishop Sigeric in AD 990, and his route has been adopted as the definitive way from Canterbury to Rome. Today, people of all ages and beliefs enjoy the physical challenge of this 1,200 mile journey. Starting at Canterbury Cathedral the entire journey will take approximately 12 weeks on foot, based on an average of between 15 and 25 miles per day. It crosses England, France, Switzerland and Italy. Pilgrims will climb to heights above 8,000 feet, and be exposed to a wide range of weather conditions. You can obtain your Via Francigena passport, which will be stamped at the Information Centre in the cathedral precincts. But first, Coffee is available in the Chapter House before you set off! Let us pray: A Pilgrim Blessing May the blessing of God the Father, Who, through the missionary witness of Augustine, showed many people the way back to Him, be with us as we go our different ways. May the light of Christ the Saviour, that has shone on our path, continue to inspire our lives. May the Holy Spirit, alive in the world Augustine bequeathed us, be an ever present fellow pilgrim in our future faith journey. And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, enfold us with his love, and bring us safely home. 10