Fr Michael Farthing died on the 28th of December 2019, having served as a priest for mover than sixty years. This is a sermon preached at this requiem mass at St Mary Magdalen’s Oxford by Fr Peter Groves.
St Mary Magdalen: Apostle to the Apostles
Today—July 22—is the feast of St Mary Magdalen, our saintly patron. We have her in mind often, when we are putting material together for this site and for our books. Regular readers probably skip the front page of the website now, but it is a good time to revisit something Rowan Williams said to us when we launched the School of Theology […]
Corpus Christi: Procession of Love
If I'd like to say a brief word about processions. We don't have as many processions at St Mary Magdalen’s as I’d like. It would be wonderful to have a Corpus Christi procession outside for all to see in the broad light of day. The reason for this, of course, is that a procession is not simply a ritual of praise and worship, it is a witness to the gospel we proclaim. […]
George Herbert: Priest and Poet
When the great Tractarian leader John Keble died in 1866, he was best known as a poet. His volume, The Christian Year, received something like ninety printings in his own lifetime. The obituary published in The Times of London tackles his reputation head on, and concludes that he should probably be thought of as England’s greatest priest poet. Among those who are dismissed as less deserving of the accolade, the writer lists ‘the poet of Bemerton’, one George Herbert (1593-1633).
Corpus Christi: The Language of Self-giving
When I think of my time at theological college, it’s fair to say that I was not well behaved. I came having studied theology for the previous six years, and was exempt from much of what was prescribed for most others. This left me, and a friend in a similar position, with too much time on our hands, never a good thing for those with a certain amount of growing up to do. One of the first bits of trouble we stirred up was an unsuccessful campaign to persuade the powers that be that the Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in the chapel. […]
The Trinity: The Basis of Christian Life
It is an experience almost all students are forced to endure at one time or another. Picture the scene. A group of friends gathers together, perhaps on a summer evening. Work is finished for the day, the sun is not long down, the wine is flowing. Idle chit chat puts the world to rights and all is as it should be. Except that two of the group are paying no attention to anybody else. You see, two of the group—as they will eagerly tell anyone prepared to listen—are very much in love […]
Easter series -- “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Religion is once again a fashionable subject, at least as far as the media is concerned. It is not surprising to find religion close to our front pages or featured early in our news programmes. Theology, on the other hand, is less and less fashionable; something we hope the School of Theology will address. What I mean by distinguishing religion and theology here is that the media’s current love affair with religion is a love affair on their own terms: religion needs to be juicy, controversial, full of soundbites. It mustn’t ask difficult questions […]
Easter Series -- "There is nothing to see here"
Crowds are important in Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, as we recall Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem we carry our palms to remind us of the crowds who welcomed him into the Holy City, with blessings, prayers and shouts of praise. On Maundy Thursday, when we strip the church and leave in silence, we become those crowds of people who have now abandoned Jesus to his fate and leave him entirely alone. [...]
Kate Summerscale’s excellent book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, is based upon an horrific incident in mid-Victorian England called The Road Hill House Murder. Those studying the mystery are not usually aware of its theological significance. [...]
Lent Series: Judges -- Deborah
The Book of Judges describes a period long in Israel’s past, which acts as a bridge between the narratives of Exodus and the conquest and settlement of Canaan on the one hand, and the history of the monarchies of ancient Israel and Judah on the other. There are twelve characters in the book who, we are told, judged Israel, most of whose names we would not now recall, but a few of whom – Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Jephthah – live more easily in our memories because of the stories and songs associated with them. [...]
Christianity: The Basics -- Eucharist
The Eucharist is the Christian story acted out in miniature. The offering of the sinless Son of God for the sinful children of men is not a past event, if by past we mean something over and gone. The incarnate humanity of Christ, offered, sacrificed, risen and ascended, is always part of the Godhead. It is real humanity drawn up into God and eternally representing humanity to God. [...]
Christianity: The Basics -- Incarnation, Pt 1: God speaks
There are many verses of scripture which we could use to introduce the central Christian doctrine of the incarnation, the teaching that, in Jesus of Nazareth, we encounter a person both divine and human. The verse I have chosen begins the Letter to the Hebrews. In many and various ways God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but now, in the last days, he has spoken to us in his Son. [...]
Christianity: The Basics -- Jesus
Where should I start? My subject is Jesus, deliberately chosen as the first subject in a series about the basics of Christianity. Few things seem more basic about the Christian faith than the claim that it has something to do with Jesus. So here we are. [...]