Previously … This course is designed to go back to the basics of what we believe, to explain (in the end) how we can live as Catholics in the Church of England today. God is love: self-giving, selfless love. The three persons of the Trinity are a community of love. Communion (or fellowship) means being united to the Church, and through the Church being united to each other and to God himself. So we are invited to take part in the life of the Trinity by our Communion with the church. 5 Guiding Principles

Session 3 – Baptism: Font and Altar Because we are unable to recognize some of those whom the Church of England has ordained as bishops and priests as standing within the historic succession of apostolic ministry, visible communion is diminished. But it is not non-existent: it is torn, not torn apart. Christians who are separated with regard to the Eucharist, apostolic succession and ordained ministry nonetheless share a high degree of communion by virtue of their common baptism and profession of the apostolic faith. This helps us to understand the sense in which we are in communion with those who ordain women as bishops and priests, the women so ordained, and those whom they will ordain – despite our differences of conviction. Although ecclesial communion is diminished, we continue to share a common life with other members of the Church of England. We are inheritors of the same Anglican tradition and part of the same canonical structure, the same Christian family, sharing in mission to the communities we seek to serve. The fifth Guiding Principle implies that full communion is not possible, but it challenges us to identify the highest degree of communion that will be possible. Communion and Catholicity in the Church of England, section 3 – summary

Session 3 – Baptism: Font and Altar Because we are unable to recognize some of those whom the Church of England has ordained as bishops and priests as standing within the historic succession of apostolic ministry, visible communion is diminished. But it is not non-existent: it is torn, not torn apart. Christians who are separated with regard to the Eucharist, apostolic succession and ordained ministry nonetheless share a high degree of communion by virtue of their common baptism and profession of the apostolic faith. This helps us to understand the sense in which we are in communion with those who ordain women as bishops and priests, the women so ordained, and those whom they will ordain – despite our differences of conviction. Although ecclesial communion is diminished, we continue to share a common life with other members of the Church of England. We are inheritors of the same Anglican tradition and part of the same canonical structure, the same Christian family, sharing in mission to the communities we seek to serve. The fifth Guiding Principle implies that full communion is not possible, but it challenges us to identify the highest degree of communion that will be possible. Communion and Catholicity in the Church of England, section 3 – summary

A practical note on the communion of the Church

The arrival of a child: two texts (1) The arrival of a child is a truly life-changing event. For many of us a religious service isn’t appropriate but it is still important to bring our friends and family together to mark such a special occasion. A humanist naming ceremony gives you the opportunity to reflect and acknowledge the joy, wonder and responsibility of bringing a child into the world in a way that is not religious. They are relaxed, happy and personal occasions. And since every ceremony is written specifically for a particular family, each one is unique. Naming ceremonies are child-centred and inclusive and often held at the start of a celebratory party, giving a real sense of purpose to the gathering. They are held by all sorts of people who want to mark the arrival of their child but also want their child to be able to decide for themselves, as they get older, what they do or don’t believe about religion. And since namings have no legal standing, they can be held wherever suits you best: a village hall, in hotels, at home, in the garden, at the park, perhaps even at the zoo. Advert for a humanist naming ceremony

The arrival of a child: two texts (2) DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ saith, none can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the Holy Ghost: I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this Child that thing which by nature he cannot have; that he may be baptized with Water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ's holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same. Book of Common Prayer’s Baptism liturgy.

Discuss: what does the comparison of the two texts reveal? Baptism is not a Christian naming ceremony – it is a rebirth. Baptism is thus about new life – life in Jesus Christ. It is also about death – death to sin and the old way of living. It is this death at the font that is the victory over physical death.

What is Baptism? In Baptism, we receive the life of Christ, the life that is God himself. In Baptism, we are made by adoption what Jesus was by nature: sons (and daughters) of the Father. This means we share Jesus’ relationship with the Father, so that we can call the Father, in the words of Jesus himself, ‘Our Father’. All who are baptised with water and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, can share in this new life. They are all our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the sense in which we can speak of a high degree of Communion by virtue of [our] common baptism, even with those who we do not recognise as validly ordained – and indeed those of different Christian denominations.

The Eucharist as Initiation (1) Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? With the help of God, I will. Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? With the help of God, I will. Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ? With the help of God, I will. Will you seek and serve Christ in all people, loving your neighbour as yourself? With the help of God, I will. Will you acknowledge Christ's authority over human society, by prayer for the world and its leaders, by defending the weak, and by seeking peace and justice? With the help of God, I will. May Christ dwell in your heart(s) through faith, that you may be rooted and grounded in love and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. The ‘Commission’, used sometimes at Baptism and Confirmation

The Eucharist as Initiation (2) Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? The Mass completes initiation into the Church. The communion of the Church with Jesus Christ on which our communion with God depends, happens in this Sacrament. Without it, the link spoken of in the last session between the communion of the Church and the life of God is broken. The communion of human beings with God is made possible by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Only when Christ ‘had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins’, could we have the same relationship with the Father that he had ‘before the world began’. The sacrifice of the cross is the sacrifice of the Mass.

Conclusions The Mass completes our initiation into the Church (which was first given in Baptism and strengthened with the gifts of the Spirit in Confirmation). We can only be Baptised and Confirmed once, because these sacraments bestow indelible gifts. But again and again we return to the Lord – in the Mass – to renew our communion (fellowship) with him. Because we are now unable to recognise the orders of some of those whom the Church of England now ordains as priests and bishops, our communion with them is diminished. But this communion (fellowship) is not destroyed. We still share a high degree of communion because of our common baptism. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ; sons and daughters of the Father. We will look at the practical consequences of all of this in session 5.

Questions Is it possible for me to travel to the font where I was baptised, so that I may pray there, and recommit myself to God and his Church? Do I take my Baptismal promises seriously enough? Do I take advantage of opportunities to renew them – for example at the Easter Vigil? Do I take the Mass seriously enough? Do I make sure that – if I am able – I have fasted from food for an hour before receiving Holy Communion? Do I pray before Mass, or sit chatting to my friends? Do I thank God afterwards?

Concluding Prayer God our Father, Whose Son our Lord Jesus Christ in a wonderful Sacrament Hath left unto us a memorial of his Passion: Grant us so to venerate the sacred mysteries of his Body and Blood, That we may ever perceive within ourselves The fruit of his redemption; Who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.