The sermon preached by Monsignor John Armitage, Chaplain to the Grand Priory of England, on the occasion of the Installation of Fra' Max Rumney as the 58th Grand Prior of England, by Fra' John Dunlap, Lieutenant to the Grand Master, at the "Victory Mass", The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Priory's Conventual Chapel of the Assumption and St Gregory Warwick Street, London, on September 8th 2022. Further photographs of this glorious ceremony will follow in a later post.
“Brethren, we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” In a world that seeks fulfilment by seeking what I want, the Church is the witness, that the good we encounter in our world, is the result of the God who works for this good through those who love him, for the whole of creation is called according to his purpose. Only love can give our lives meaning and purpose, and our true fulfilment is a consequence of not doing what I want, but seeking, sharing, and doing what we need, building the common good of all humanity. The Church has its fair share of those of us who do what we want, but our Order has been greatly blessed by those whose lives had been dedicated to building up the body of Christ, living witnesses of what we need, these people we call saints.
Our founder Blessed Gerard, was known by his contemporaries as “the humblest man in the East, a servant of the poor, devoted to pilgrims, of simple appearance, but shining forth with his noble heart.” In the darkness of 1941 Pope Pius XII in an address to the Order, explained the true meaning of nobility. “In these poor, these orphans these wounded these lepers, lie you own title deeds of nobility, received at Bethlehem from the King of Kings who being rich became poor, that by his poverty you might be rich.”
In every moment in time there is a grace to be found, and the history of the Church shows us that it is in the darkest moments that God’s grace is most profound. “For where sin increased, grace increased all the more,” Romans 5:20
When Pope Gregory the Great sent St Augustine to evangelise the pagan English, Rome was a dark and dangerous place, the Roman Empire was collapsing, the barbarians were at the gates, plague was rife, yet the successor of Peter sent a frightened monk to the edge of a crumbling empire. Pope Gregory understood the wisdom of the modern saying “Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”
Augustine built a monastery, it was the spiritual foundation, lighting the flame of faith for his companions to spread the Good News in a dark and dangerous land. All works of the Gospel must be based on firm spiritual foundations which from time to time must be renewed.
The Holy Father calls us to a Spiritual Renewal, but such a renewal presupposes a spiritual legacy, this legacy has inspired the men and women of our country to respond to the call of the Gospel and the charism of our founder from the foundation of the Grand Priory in 1144, through the martyrdom of our brothers, Blessed Adrian Fortescue, David Gunston and Thomas Dingley after the suppression of the Grand Priory in 1540. The blood of these martyrs was the seed that would lead to the restoration of the Order in 1875 with the establishment of the British Association and the restoration of the Grand Priory of England in 1993.
Whatever the darkness humanity faces, whatever the trials and tribulations of the followers of Jesus, Peter and his successors, the rock on which the Church is built, reminds us “that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” There will be darkness and confusion, from time-to-time we are faced with challenges, but for those of noble heart and humble demeanour, God’s grace enables them to "Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church,” not through their own plans or human projects but according to Gods purpose, as he works for the good with those He has chosen.
The saints and martyrs of our Order were heralds of the Gospel, men and women of noble heart, experts in humanity, for they were grounded in prayer, and shaped by their love and service of the Sick and the poor. The Preface of Saints tells us that “the Church is renewed in every age by raising up men and women outstanding witnesses of your unchanging love. They inspire us by their heroic lives and help us by their constant prayers to be the living sign of Your saving power.”
The renewal of our beloved Order will be the consequence of lives that defend the faith by serving the sick and the poor. These heroic lives, founded on fidelity to prayer, will as they have always done, renew the Church and renew our Order. We pray that the renewal will inspire a new spirit of vocational openness, discernment and generosity, to the Professed life, and Obedience and a spirit of loving service that will inspire men and women to join as members or volunteers in the service of those most in need.
As we stand on the threshold of this new chapter in the ancient tale of Christ’s hospitality, may we, your poor servants, take to heart the words of St Bernard that “the measure of our love will be to love without measure.”
The BIRTH of Mary, and the YES of Mary brought the light of Christ to shine upon us. This light is experienced only through a human encounter, for the Word became flesh and lived among us. Therefore, the world waits for women and men, who have said yes to God, who are beacons of light to those who live in darkness.
Today we wish to say Yes, as Mary said yes, to say Yes as Gerard and our martyrs said Yes, to say Yes in the footsteps of the thousands of members of our Order who over the centuries have served the poor and the sick and protected the Church by their example and loving service, always at a cost to themselves, and sometimes at the cost of their very lives!
Today we commend our dear brother Max to the care and intercession of Our Lady of Philermo, Blessed Gerard, and all the saints and martyrs of our Order and assure him of our prayers, and for Lady Celestia Hales as the new President of BASMOM, may the Lord bless them and strengthen them in the days to come.
It is a joy to welcome our beloved brother Fra' John Dunlap and we assure him of our prayers and fraternal loyalty at this moment of Grace in the life of our Order.
Each moment in history demands great sacrifices, acts of love and kindness, acts of graciousness and radical generosity to address the darkness that so besets our world. The challenge of renewal within our beloved Order, is about the revitalisation of the personal and generous response in the lives of its members. May the Grand Priory and the British Association, united in our common cause of service to Our Lords the Sick, embrace this moment of grace.
May Peter, who in the midst of a storm walked on the water and started to sink and was saved by the Lord, strengthen our faith and courage. May Gerard’s humility and nobility of heart inspire us to lives of service and may Mary the one who was “greatly troubled” at what the Lord was asking of her remind us of Gabriel’s words, that the holy spirit will come upon us so there is no need to fear, for nothing is impossible for God.
At this point Mary's YES and openness to God's will in her life, brought salvation to a fallen world. She “conceived the Lord in her heart before she conceived him in her womb.” In the heart of Mary the Church was born, in the heart of Mary, the Church is sustained, with her words “do whatever he tells you.” The heart of Mary teaches us that all renewal begins in our own hearts. May we conceive Him on our hearts, so that we may bring His love to a fallen world and dedicate ourselves once again to the defence of the Church by our unconditional service of our Lords the Sick.
Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
Blessed Gerard, pray for us.
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