Last night was a great success as various priests and people came together to celebrate the Patronal Festival of S. Augustine of Canterbury, Belvedere. Stupidly I forgot my camera….so no pretty photographs! Instead you can enjoy this old photograph of Fr. Clive the parish priest who, as I explained in my sermon last night, is a direct successor to S. Augustine himself! I offer the homily for those who might be interested as it seemed to be well recieved:
Today we thank God for Saint Augustine of Canterbury, patron of this parish. We gather to seek his prayers and to learn from his life. Not as history lesson, not because tradition demands it, but because S. Augustine has something to teach us.
Hang on, says the cynic. Father’s a lunatic, what do we have in common with a 6th Century saint? The answer as regards your neighbour may well be ‘not a lot’ – but for those of us in church – the answer is everything! Because the task God called him to, is the same one he calls us to today.
S. Augustine came to Britain as an evangelist. He was charged with preaching the faith and teaching about Jesus Christ. And he had to this in a culture that neither wanted the Gospel nor knew it. How like Britain today. Because, make no mistake, you and I live in a society where Jesus is neither known nor wanted.
Hence the task of S. Augustine all those years ago, and of us today, is identical. We must lead people to Jesus and build up of God’s kingdom in this place. We who uphold the Catholic faith are S. Augustine’s successors. We must bring faith to an England that is, to all intents and purposes, spiritually dead.
And lets not romanticise this. S. Augustine did not stride into Britain and convert everyone with a nod of his head. He did not stand utterly assured of his success. Far from it, S. Augustine was terrified. The odds were against him. He was nervous, before he even started he felt utterly defeated. Which explains why, when he first arrived, Augustine ran away. Now someone should have warned him that its dangerous running from God in England, for like Jonah, deserters can end up in Whales! Well Augustine did not end up in Wales of either sort! Instead he was returned to England by the Pope, told to be a man and get on with it!.
Do you see the similarity once more between S. Augustine and us? We who follow the true faith, are again small in number, smaller than you might even think. for we must not be deceived by many in the pews, and I include Anglicans, Romans, and everyone else in that. Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than sitting in a chicken coop makes you a hen! So the number of ACTUAL christians is even less than the number of those attending Mass each week! It is worse than you thought! The West is losing faith and many who claim to be Christian abandoned Jesus long ago. And now they are busy re-inventing faith to fit a compromised life and secular values.
No we who obey Jesus, who take his Gospel seriously, are a tiny remnant, frighteningly small in number. A holy huddle in a once Christian land….and more depressingly a holy huddle in a once Christian church!!! And like S. Augustine we face a daunting task. The odds are stacked against us converting the masses. And often we are scared of our future and survival. We too want to run away. To pull up the drawbridge and pretend all is well.
Well here is the good news tonight. We gather because, against all odds, S. Augustine succeeded! He did it! Not because he was brainy. Not because he was a skilful politician. Not because he was lucky. Not because he had leadership qualities. S. Augustine succeeded for one reason only. The living Lord Jesus, whom we worship today, went with him; blessing his work and providing grace through word and sacrament. God sent a priest in S. Augustine and he would not abandon him. Thus through faithful ministry and perseverance a miracle occurred. God’s love defeated man’s rebellion.
That same God, who granted Augustine a miracle, is here with us today. If we rely on ourselves, our leadership qualities, our strength, our brains or anything else, we WILL fail. But if we root ourselves in Jesus, my friends we can only succeed. It might be tough, we might need lots of patience, but God will not abandon us just as he would not abandon Augustine. The gospel will win out. It always has and it always will.
That might shock you. You might think Belvedere is beyond redemption. That the people of this, often neglected, community will never set foot in Church nor seek the touch of Jesus. But you are wrong. Every person in this town is known and loved by God. And if you are faithful in your ministry here, person by person, bit by bit a miracle of revival will happen. For proof of that- look around you. This church is growing. Fuller today than it was ten years ago. God is active in S. Augustine’s Belvedere …against all odds. And for one reason, this is a church that preaches the faith without compromise.
So finally a word to the congregation. S. Augustine was a holy man sent by God for a purpose. But he did not work alone. He took a small group with him, his congregation. Without them he would have failed, because individualism, the act of going it alone, is not the Gospel way. We are a family, a community of faith. And today God has sent another priest, he might look funny and even seem a bit odd, he wouldn’t be my choice (joke!) but God has utter faith in him. God believes in father Clive. Not to convert Britain but Belvedere. He is your Augustine and you must be his people. If Fr. Clive is to succeed against all odds, it will be because of grace AND your love, your friendship, your support and your dedication.
My brothers and sisters, be proud of S. Augustine of Canterbury your patron, be proud of what he achieved and celebrate that with passion. But do not stop there. See in him an example for yourselves. And then with passion be proud of your church, be proud of your priest, be proud of what you are all achieving here. Do that with joy and faithfulness and you will find it becomes infectious.
