Second Vatican Coun cil
In a recent homily Pope Francis spoke words which will bring joy to all who see the Holy Spirit at work in the continuing implementation of the Second Vatican Council. Indeed, the Holy Father spoke of work still incomplete fifty years on – because there is a desire to ‘tame the Holy Spirit’. Reflecting on the first reading at Mass which includes Stephen’s accusation that his persecutors were resisting the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, “The Holy Spirit upsets us because it moves us, it makes us walk, it pushes the Church forward,” He warned that we want “to calm down the Holy Spirit, we want to tame it and this is wrong.” He pointed Catholics to the strength of God which is the Holy Spirit himself, who gives us th strength to go forward. Yet many find this ‘going forward’ upsetting and prefer the comfort of the familiar. The Pope described the Council as “a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit,” but he was also clear that not everything has yet been done which the Holy Spirit asked of the Church during the Council. “We don’t want to change and what’s more there are those who wish to turn the clock back.” This, he went on, “is called stubbornness and wanting to tame the Holy Spirit.” Pope Francis exhorted Catholics not to resist in their personal lives the pressure of the Spirit to take a more evangelical path. ‘Submit to the Holy Spirit which comes from within us and makes go forward along the path of holiness.”
About Scott Anderson
Formerly an Anglican priest (ordained 1975) received into the Catholic Church in February 2012, and ordained to the Diaconate on 27th July 2013. I took early retirement, and divide my time between London and northern France. I am deeply committed to the Ordinariate as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the search for unity. Like many Ordinariate members I feel a personal gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict, together with loyalty to our Holy Father, Pope Francis. My blog tries to make a small contribution to the growth of the Ordinariate by asking questions (and proposing some answers) about the 'Anglican Patrimony'.
I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of growth and decline, and therefore concerned for appropriate means of evangelisation in western Europe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing the People of God and that we must be open to him.
On Saturday 19th October 2013, I was ordained to the Priesthood at Most Precious Blood, Borough, by the Most Revd Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, for the service of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham. I continued to serve the Ordinariate group and Parish at Most Precious Blood until the end of 2014. Subsequently, I helped in the care of the Ordinariate Groups at Hemel Hempstead and Croydon, and in the Archdiocese of Southwark, until the beginning of September 2015. With the agreement of my Ordinary, , the Bishop of Amiens appointed me Administrator of the Parish of Notre Dame des Etangs (Pont Remy) in Picardie, France.
After nine years as parish priest, with wonderful and supportive parishioners, I decided that the time had come to retire and return to the UK. A nasty accident four years ago and contracting COVID has left me physically rather feeble! I shall be ever grateful for the years in France, a wonderful ending to the years of parish ministry. So here I am back in the UK, taking a long rest, setting up home, coping with all the new Safeguarding procedures - and wondering what next.
Ordinariate Pilgrim 