THE BODY AT PRAYER
Sitting, standing, bowing, kneeling
PRAYING THE OFFICE
The psalms
Praying the psalms
Praying with Scripture
In Christ alone
7. Eucharistic Living – The sacrament of cosmic communion
Holy living
Presiding and praying
THE ICONIC NATURE OF THE PRIESTHOOD
The priest as an alter Christus
The priest as an icon of Christ
What is an icon?
Mary, mother and priest?
The Church as the icon of Christ
CELEBRATING THE MYSTERY
Preparing
Vesting
Liturgy of the Word
Intercessor
The Eucharistic Prayer
Saved by disability
A living sacrifice
‘MASS OF THE WORLD’
Living Eucharistically
Christ present in all people
8. Living in Ordinary Time – Developing a wholesome life
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
What is spiritual direction?
The desire for God
A note for spiritual directors
RETREATS AND QUIET DAYS
PASTORAL SUPERVISION
RULE OF LIFE
Discernment
Making choices in life
THE SINGLE LIFE
CELIBACY
Anglicans and celibacy
PARTNERS FOR LIFE
PARTICULAR RELATIONSHIPS
HEALTHY LIVING
THROUGH DARKNESS AND PERPLEXITY
Growing into Christ
9. Being Beneath the Role – Discovering our personal vocation
‘What a piece of work is a man!’
THE PARADOX OF BEING
Putting on masks
Engulfed by Church
Spirituality and sexuality
BEING HONEST
BEING DIFFERENT: LGBTI
BEING IN CHRIST
Beneath the role
The call to sanctity
THE PERSONAL VOCATION
Letting go
10. In My End is My Beginning – Life in the Trinity
Retiring?
LOVE WAS OUR LORD’S MEANING
In my end is my beginning
Indifference
LETTING GO
To the glory of God
Abandoned to love
ATTAINING THE LOVE OF GOD
All in the end is harvest
This book is dedicated to the Sacred and Compassionate Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to Benedict, Francis and Ignatius whose lives continue to inspire.
***
It is no longer I who live,
but it is Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me
and gave himself for me.
(The Letter of St Paul to the Galatians 2.20)
Acknowledgements
First, I want to acknowledge the debt of gratitude I owe to my parents and to those who were helpful in my initial vocational development. As a questioning teenager exploring faith, I was deeply impressed by the simple holiness of John Clayton, a Roman Catholic priest who showed great hospitality to this young seeker. I am also grateful for the subsequent guidance I received from many priests, some of whom have now died and, in particular, I realize the debt I owe to Richard Buck, Bill Kirkpatrick, Peter Laister and Jim Cotter, and the immense help I received from Brothers Michael and Damian SSF as well as many others, ordained and lay. Outstanding among them was Sister Mary Teresa SLG, a hermit whose care of me as my vocation developed, often chaotically, deepened my desire for God and who introduced me to the riches of the Carmelite tradition.
In putting my thoughts in order, the assistance of a number of people was invaluable, and I am especially grateful for the help I received from the Bishop of Southwark, Sister Sue CSF, Sister Leo OSCl, and the Reverends David D. Anderson and Ed Sniecienski, Fathers Nicholas Cranfield, John Cullen, Neil Evans, Richard Peers SMMS, Paul Symonds and Brett Ward. Their careful reading of various chapters, constructive criticisms and insightful suggestions were extremely helpful as was the discussion I had with a group of clergy attending the Southwark Diocesan IME (Initial Ministerial Education).
I would also like to thank the editorial staff at Canterbury Press for their patience, help and advice to this novice author.
My particular thanks go to someone who wishes to remain anonymous but whose very careful and professional reading and the comments she was able to make were invaluable, as was the help I received from Ann Lewin who proof read the whole book and whose poetry has been inspirational.
The observations of all involved saved me from too many mistakes, and their suggestions as to what was missing and what needed attention were of great help.
Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank Chris, my long-suffering partner, who had to cope with my being shut away in our office for many hours. Without his initial encouragement and ongoing support this book could never have been written.
Foreword
by the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark
There is much encouragement to be found in these pages. John-Francis has himself ‘pondered these things’ (as it says in the Ordinal) and shares his insights into the inner life of a priest with great care and beauty. His journey has encompassed the religious life within the Society of St Francis as well as the unpredictability