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The Priest's Craft: questionsA talk given to priests in Hollandby Archbishop James Ingall Wedgwood (1883 - 1951)Published in 1928 | Liberal Catholic Church Sacraments Healing Unction |
| Q | In making the sign at the end of the second Benediction, why do you make the circle first ? |
| A | I copy what Archbishop Leadbeater did. I suppose it depends on what the Logos did? The underlying idea is perhaps that an area of manifestation was marked out first. |
| Q | If one has consecrated more Hosts then are consumed actually at Communion by the congregation, may one consume this oneself? |
| A | You can; or if there are too many, you may call up the congregation to help you. In the Anglican Church, it is a common practice to consecrate too much wine, say on Christmas day, and you often see the churchwardens being called up to dispose of it. |
| Q | Is it admissible to dips the Host in the wine before administering, as you did this morning? |
| A | The answer is no; because the Episcopal Synod decided against it, thinking it too dangerous. Personally, I like it. The R.C.Church dropped it. We need to do it here, but I do it only in the case of the Ordination of Priests, or at a concelebration like this morning, then I look on the Priests as celebrating with me. |
| Q | If the priest has got to take all those unconsummated wafers, why is it is too strong for him to take two communions in one day ? |
| A | It is not the question of the amount in bulk, but of the experience being repeated. Technically, you might get as much of the power of the Lord in a single atom as in several Hosts. In the case of the priest's consuming the unused Hosts afterwards, that is considered as all part of the one communion. |
| Q | How long does Holy Water retain its strength ? |
| A | About a week I think. Holy Water radiated and peters out rather quickly. It begins to get feeble after a week or so. I don't say there would be nothing left after some months, but there wouldn't be much. |
| Q | How long does one keep the consecrated Host ? |
| A | About a month; but it depends rather on the climate. |
| Q | Must any special size of hosts be used ? |
| A | It depends on the size of the congregation concerned. It must be big enough for a large number to see it. You can get smaller ones for use in a small oratory. |
| Q | May we try some kind of concelebration, like we did this morning ? |
| A | I think I had rather you did not on the whole, without asking the Presiding Bishop. Some of our Bishops are against experiments and the spread of things which are not normal. You see some of our priests are rather new to all this, and are inclined to let their interest in psychic things push them to all kind of experiments. |
| Q | Was the effect of the service this morning strong ? |
| A | It was very strong. The effect this morning was "ragged"; but the amount of power round the altar was enormous. I like doing it myself, as it builds up a sense of unity; you all become part of a larger whole as you do it, and it helps to lift the priests into a larger consciousness. |
| Q | What is the meaning of the phrase in the Ordination Service: "Whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained" ? |
| A | Suppose someone comes to me in confession and says: I have stolen five florins --you might consider it expedient to withhold absolution until he had made restitution. Or if you are not quite sure of a man's genuine regret and contrition, you might ask him to think it over and then come again. This matter of "retaining" sins also refers to the words "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven", and may have something to do with the loosening of karma. The point is, that as it is a phrase that has been used a long time in other Churches, it would have been difficult to leave it out. Still, you can explain it quite easily in the way I put it just now. You are not bound to give absolution if you think the person is not sincere. |
| Q | What is the difference in the working of the Host when a person takes It himself, and when he is only in the presence of the host ? |
| A | I think it is only a rather big difference of degree, and not a difference in kind. You bring it down a stage lower, certainly when you take the Host. When you are at a celebration and the priest takes It, everyone receives it vicariously at the etheric level; but when you take the Host into you physically, there is a much stronger reaction of the power of the Christ, and that will radiate from you for a couple of hours or so. But when you are in the presence of the Host, it does not radiate from you, but only rays upon you. You do radiate, but not to the same extent. |
| Q | Is it helpful for a person to drink Holy Water ? |
| A | Well, it might have a very decided effect - as an emetic! But to drink " magnetized water" is supposed by some healers to be very good for one. There is no salt in the latter. |
| Q | In the Healing Service, in the laying on of hands, is it necessary to press ? |
| A | Just put the hands slightly on the head; you need not press. |
| Q | Would you kindly tell us more of the effect and the working of the candles? And why is there no candle burnt for the Second Ray ? Is the power of the Second Ray in the silence ? |
| A | The power of the First Ray is still more in the silence. It is quite above all speech. The candles were not originally designed to have anything to do with the Seven Rays. You see, in the early days candles were piled up round the Altar. At Sarum (Salisbury, a cathedral in England) there were two candles on the Altar and four on the posts at each side of the Altar as in our side-altars here. Things have varied a good deal. I am not at all sure myself whether it would not be better to have a seventh candle at all celebrations, for the Second Ray. But it is not very important. A seventh candle is lit when a Bishop is there, because, owing to his Episcopal ordination his consciousness goes up a stage higher than the priests. It helps in the expression of the Buddhic quality. The seventh candle is of course represented by the Host, the Host is the special channel of the Second Ray influence. |
| Q | Is not the "perpetual light" the symbol of the Second Ray ? |
| A | Yes, I think you might take it like that. |
| Q | When you are censing the Cross, does not that go to the Second Ray ? |
| A | Yes, of course. |
| Q | Does it help this Center here, and our particular churches if we think of Huizen when we are celebrating in our own places ? |
| A | It will always help both parties concerned, if you make an act of union with this place. It is an ideal scheme: to have as it were one great radiating center and a number of |
This document is part of The Global Library,
from the The Southern Province USA of the North American Old Catholic Church.
Additional funding provided by The Wynn and Rick Wagner Foundation.