Last week I was having a conversation with a few people about the new exhibition in York of artefacts connected with the Gunpowder Plot. It contains a crucifix belonging to a Catholic priest, Fr. Edward Oldcorne, who was innocent of any involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, but was captured in its aftermath with Fr. Henry Garnet, the then Catholic priest in Brigg. Garnet did know of the plan through the plotters the Wright brothers of Twigmoor Hall, and even though he opposed it, he was found guilty of treason and was hanged, drawn and quartered. Oldcorne faced the same fate and the label on the cross states that Oldcorne was ‘Born York. Racked 5 times. H.D.Q. April 7th 1606. Worcester.’
The conversation revolved around amazement of the fear of different beliefs and horror of the barbarism of the punishments: racking and being hanged, drawn and quartered being commonplace for those accused of treason. Whilst we rightly baulk at the intolerance and inhumanity of those times, perhaps the most remarkable feature of those times, at least to many people today, was that anyone could get that animated about matters of faith.
This year is the 75th Anniversary of the signing of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 of the Declaration says that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” This fundamental right to freedom of religion is a precious thing, but in the West which has been influenced by relativism, this leads to a general belief that because all religions are to be equally protected, that must mean they are all equally true and valid; and if they are all equally valid they are also all equally irrelevant. Because if it doesn't matter which faith you have, then faith itself doesn't matter.
So we live in a society that is generally ambivalent towards God: as Jesus says in our reading from the gospel of Matthew, people are devoted to money and worry about what they will eat, or drink, or wear. Easter is reduced to a matter of chocolate and chicks, and Christmas is all about Santa and parties. Or they point to things like the Gunpowder Plot and its aftermath, or the Crusades, or the World Trade Centre attacks and say that religion is a cause of wars and atrocities.
The irony is that the justified criticism of these barbaric events is itself a product of the revolution brought about by Jesus. Before Jesus' followers gained widespread influence, the Darwinian concept of the 'survival of the fittest' was seen to be the common sense, natural order of society – if you wanted to gain power you needed to fight for it, if you wanted to hold onto power you had to destroy your enemies. Just ask the early Roman Emperors.
But in Jesus we see a different way of living. As our reading from Paul's letter to the Philippian church says, although he was divine, Jesus did not use his divinity for his own gain but emptied himself and became human. He humbled himself, being executed like the worst and most shameful of criminals on the cross, so that by his death he could take the punishment we deserve for our sins. As he taught many times, if you want to be great, you should be the servant to all.
The Church and those who follow Jesus have failed many times to live up to this ideal, and too often have followed the natural instinct that might is right. But even though our society is ambivalent to God or even glories in its rejection of God, we still revere the Christian instincts of justice, human rights, tenderness and compassion, disapproving of selfish ambition and vain conceit; and venerating
valuing others above yourself.
However we cannot reduce Christianity to a set of moral values taught by a self-less spiritual leader, nor can we detach the Christian moral values from the faith that inspires them. This is because, as Paul reminds us, we can only live out these values as far as we are united with Jesus and have his Spirit within us. Without the recognition that we need forgiveness from God for the times we fail to live up to his standard, and the acknowledgement that we are unable to live his way without his help, we become intolerant of others and inhumane in our behaviour towards them.
Paul also reminds us that the Jesus who humbled himself is now exalted to the highest place, and will return to judge us all, and when he returns everyone will acknowledge that he is the Lord.
Ambivalence is not an option.
Being good is not enough.
Only a true and living faith in Jesus can enable us to live like him in this life and be with him in the next.
Father Edward Oldcorne's crucifix – Photo by Anthony Chappel-Ross from https://middlesbrough-diocese.org.uk/research-reveals-york-priests-crucifix-could-be-last-gunpowder-plot-raids-survivor%EF%BF%BC/
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