30th May, 2021

​My dear friends,

The coronavirus pandemic has put us all under a great deal of stress and strain over the past year and a half in many different ways. For the most part, I think we have coped remarkably well – and I have been hugely impressed and humbled by all the imaginative ways that we in St John have found to reach out and care for others – but I am also conscious that we have all had days during the pandemic when we haven’t done so well and things have got a bit on top of us – me included.
 
            There is much truth in the old adage that a worry shared is a worry halved. May I therefore mention once again that the Priory of England and the Islands of the Order of St John has set up an ‘On Call Chaplaincy’: a telephone helpline staffed by county chaplains who are available to talk and to listen on a rota between 10.30-11.30 a.m. and 4.00-5.30 p.m. every day. The telephone number is 03330 154414. Anyone ringing this number will be connected to the duty chaplain, who will be pleased to be of service.
With my continued prayers and all good wishes,

​                                             The Rev. Dr  ROBERT BEAKEN, County Chaplain
TRINITY SUNDAY – 30th MAY 2021.
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Gospel: St John, chapter 3, verses 1-17
One of the most interesting of the medieval archbishops of Canterbury must surely be St Thomas Becket, who was martyred in Canterbury cathedral on the evening of 29th December 1170. I once had to look after a tiny bit of one of his bones that had ended up in Rome – but that is a story for another day – though I am one of the few people who can claim they gave a lift to (a bit of) St Thomas Becket in his car.
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            Most people have heard that Becket was a bit of a playboy and a close friend – one might even say, boozing companion – of King Henry II, who appointed him archbishop of Canterbury in 1170 in order to control the Church through him. Things did not work out quite as the king intended. Something seemed to change inside Thomas Becket. Previously, he had sat light to Christianity, which did not mean a great deal to him. After Becket’s consecration as a bishop, something altered – I suppose we might say ‘the penny dropped’ and he started to understand Christianity properly and to be changed by the experience. He also began to stick up for the Church against the unfair demands of the king, and in 1170 Becket was murdered by several of the king’s knights.

            That is the outline. The truth, of course, is a bit more detailed and complex; but certainly this former playboy – who was also exceedingly bright – came to have a very real and deep Christian faith.

            Becket ordered two changes during his time as archbishop, which, you will be interested to know, still affect us today. Firstly in the Eucharist, during the prayer of consecration, he ordered that after the priest consecrated the bread into the sacramental Body of Christ, he was to ‘elevate’ or lift it up, so that the congregation could adore Jesus in his sacramental Body.

            Secondly, Becket, who was consecrated as a bishop on the Sunday after Pentecost, ordered that this Sunday should be kept as the feast of the Holy Trinity – Trinity Sunday – and the observance of this holy day spread from England around the Christian world.

            Why did Becket do this? The Holy Trinity was hardly news: Christians had been conscious that God was Father, Son and Holy Spirit since the beginning of Christianity – read the opening paragraphs of St Mark’s Gospel and see all three of them mentioned there – and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was formally defined by the Council of Nicean in 325 AD and the Council of Constantinople in 360 AD. The Holy Trinity – that there is One God, who is comprised of Three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – is the key doctrine of Christianity. But why did Becket want a special Sunday explicitly dedicated to the Holy Trinity?

            The answer is that Thomas Becket underwent a deep religious awakening after his consecration as a bishop. Christianity stopped being all airy-fairy, and became very real to him. He seems to have been immensely struck by the idea that God reaches out to humanity.

            Similarly, Becket looked at all the theology of the Holy Trinity – which had, of course, inspired prayers, and poems and hymns – and felt it wasn’t enough just to affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, but instead this was something so wonderful, so significant, that Christians ought specifically to celebrate it – hence, Trinity Sunday. What we celebrate is the fact that God has reached out to humanity and has revealed something of His very self to us.

When you think about it, it is truly amazing that God, who created heaven and earth, and everything everywhere – and indeed, our thoughts and brain processes – has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This speaks powerfully of God’s love: the Creator of galaxies and of the individual atom, loves us enough to tell us about Himself. I am reminded of Jesus saying that every hair of our head is known to God, such is His love. Trinity Sunday, then, is a celebration of God’s self-revelation, and of His love.

This, I believe, is the same reason that Becket ordered the consecrated host, now become the sacramental Body of Christ, should be elevated in the consecration for the people to see and adore. This, Becket says, is the same Jesus Christ who trod earth in Palestine, who comes to us now in his Real Presence in his most holy sacrament.

And the common denominator? Well, Becket would probably tell us, Trinity Sunday and the elevation of the host both speak powerfully to us about God, and they tell us that we worship a God who comes to us. A God who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, who comes to us in Holy Communion. God does all of this because of His great love for us. Thomas Becket would tell us that what matters is that we love Him back.