Maria’s First Mass

1994 (Year A), 25 April (Easter 3)

All Hallows Bow

How long? O Lord, How long? Well praise God, the truth is not long now. And now, at last, it doesn’t depend on the vagaries of the House of Bishops, nor the pleadings of the laity, nor even the screwed up House of Clergy. Last Sunday hands were laid and now the only thing that’s holding back Maria’s first celebration is the length of this sermon. And if you’re at all anxious – It won’t be long!

It’s a day for rejoicing. For true celebration. Not only on Maria’s behalf but for the whole church because as women are ordained throughout the country, then this part of the church of God, at least, has finally started to come of age. What we celebrate today is the bursting forth of new life. It’s a unique opportunity for us celebrate something focused in one person, which has implications for the whole church. A new life for the church and for Maria. It’s the discarding of oppression which the church has perpetrated not just on women but indeed the whole church for years. Now, at last the priesthood fully represents the glory of God’s good creation. Heavens above, who in their right minds could’ve ever thought it wrong?

Women and men can share priesthood. A truly amazing thing! Maria in her darker moments, and yes, even she does have them sometimes, thought that it would never happen in her working life. O ye of little faith. This God of surprises has somehow helped work a miracle even in the Church of England and now we can share properly, in making Eucharist. Offering a gift to God. Sharing communion with the divine.

Of course that’s not the only surprise. It never ceases to amaze me that God has chosen for some mysterious reason to work through the personalities in creation. We need to dwell for a moment or two just to give ourselves time to recognise the implications of this incredible fact and to note precisely what this latest acquisition has got to offer. What is she really like?

She’s known throughout the Stepney Area for her unflappability. Nothing ever fazes her. Not Maria. At a farewell presentation at St Peter’s at a Sunday morning Eucharist her final words to all who were gathered there were, ‘Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and Goodnight!’

She’s known throughout Stepney for her tact. Tact has always been one of her strong points. Just over five years ago when there was some speculation who the next Area Dean of Hackney might be I was having a most intimate and interesting talk with the then Area Dean. We’d got to an absolutely crucial point where he said, ‘Tell me, have you had a telephone call from Jim yet?’ Before I got the opportunity to get just to ease a little more from him, I saw Maria, out of the corner of my eye. She set sail from the other side of the room. She arrived at his side, slapped him round the shoulder and bawled in his ear, ‘Well Evan, who’s going to be the next Area Dean then?’ Evan shrivelled up into a little ball and drifted away. I wanted to kill her. It truly is a miracle that she’s survived to be here today at all.

Two glimpses of the person God has chosen for the work of a priest. Her tasks are daunting, but primary among them is to preside at Eucharist. Now the Eucharist is as near to God as we’ll get this side of the grave. It’s the place where we can revel in intimacy and communion with the Divine.

Yet Communion requires one thing above all of us. It requires vulnerability. It requires that we let our defences fall. It begs us to become open. I believe more than any other quality it is one which should mark the people of God, and as such should be the mark of all priests. And Maria is vulnerable. It’s the challenge to the women coming to priesthood now that they transform something which has been notable for so long, by the Godless qualities of defensiveness, distance and remoteness, into a one of intimacy, closeness and dependency. Defensiveness and distance have never been the hallmarks of God’s relationship with creation.

All this certainly doesn’t mean that Maria, along with the other women coming to priesthood don’t have to take on the power which has been given them. It means that they should take the power and use it to transform, with the help of other like-minded souls, a priesthood which has been disfigured and dishonoured by whole generations of clergy from one of impregnability into one of vulnerability.

Eucharists celebrated from positions of remoteness and impregnability betray the Lord whose glory they are supposed to celebrate. Solemnities are vain, words empty, music a waste of time, prayer useless and rites nothing but lies, if they are not transfigured by justice and mercy and vulnerability.

I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them,
and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Today at All Hallows justice has begun to roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Thank God we are here. AMEN