As I was driving back to Somerset through the snow on Monday I casually turned
on the radio at 11am to catch the news –and, of course, the number one headline
focused on the man who is, perhaps, the most influential of all Christian
leaders, Pope Benedict XVI and his surprise resignation announcement. In a world of well leaked stories it was
great to hear some real ‘breaking news’ for a change!
When I was at college one of our tutors predicted that many of us would be surprised at the close relationships Baptist ministers can often make with Roman Catholic priests. On the surface it might appear that we come from opposite ends of an ecclesiastical spectrum yet a common love of scripture and expression of personal faith often means we find we have more in common than we would expect.
When I was at college one of our tutors predicted that many of us would be surprised at the close relationships Baptist ministers can often make with Roman Catholic priests. On the surface it might appear that we come from opposite ends of an ecclesiastical spectrum yet a common love of scripture and expression of personal faith often means we find we have more in common than we would expect.
That experience has certainly proved true for me in at least
two pastorates – and both times with a Catholic colleague called Andrew! Hitchin’s Father Andrew was a man of quiet
faith who always made me feel so welcome at his services. Yeovil’s Father Andrew was an extrovert who
on one occasion pulled me out of the congregation at a united service,
suggested we might share the liturgy together with the words ‘let’s make it up
as we go along, I’ll say a bit and then look at you and off you go’! He preached at last year’s Good Friday
service and it was a sermon with an evangelistic emphasis that Billy Graham
would have been proud of.
The other area of fellowship with Roman Catholic friends which has been such an encouragement to me over the years has been through the Retreat movement. Those Christian traditions, like Baptists, who have come ‘late’ to quiet and reflective prayer have benefitted enormously from the established disciplines of prayer handed down to us from the monasteries and convents of the Roman Catholic Church. And when meeting ‘RC’ friends at retreats and conferences I constantly feel a sense of privilege at being in the presence of such genuinely prayerful fellow pilgrims.
So I join with many others in praying God’s blessing on my Roman Catholic friends as they say ‘farewell’ and ‘thank you’ to a spiritual leader for whom they obviously feel such great warmth and affection. Those prayers also go out to the conclave of Cardinals who will elect his successor. A good Pope, able to communicate the love of Christ, will be a blessing for the whole church.
Perhaps the one thing I will remember most about the ministry of Benedict was his visit to Britain in 2010. On what other occasion did the BBC broadcast three communion services on three consecutive evenings?! ‘Miraculous’ – some would say! But perhaps that would open up another discussion best postponed for another day!
With best wishes,
The other area of fellowship with Roman Catholic friends which has been such an encouragement to me over the years has been through the Retreat movement. Those Christian traditions, like Baptists, who have come ‘late’ to quiet and reflective prayer have benefitted enormously from the established disciplines of prayer handed down to us from the monasteries and convents of the Roman Catholic Church. And when meeting ‘RC’ friends at retreats and conferences I constantly feel a sense of privilege at being in the presence of such genuinely prayerful fellow pilgrims.
So I join with many others in praying God’s blessing on my Roman Catholic friends as they say ‘farewell’ and ‘thank you’ to a spiritual leader for whom they obviously feel such great warmth and affection. Those prayers also go out to the conclave of Cardinals who will elect his successor. A good Pope, able to communicate the love of Christ, will be a blessing for the whole church.
Perhaps the one thing I will remember most about the ministry of Benedict was his visit to Britain in 2010. On what other occasion did the BBC broadcast three communion services on three consecutive evenings?! ‘Miraculous’ – some would say! But perhaps that would open up another discussion best postponed for another day!
With best wishes,
Ian
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