Hope for healing and reconciliation
The Bishop of Ely, Stephen Conway, addressed clergy gathered from across his Diocese in Ely Cathedral this morning reminding his congregation of the importance of finding ways of expressing the Christian message whilst remembering “how blind to this glory much of the world chooses to be”.
Preaching at his first Chrism Eucharist as Bishop of the Diocese, Bishop Conway invited fellow bishops and clergy to renew their ordination vows as the Church celebrated the great events of Maundy Thursday. He said: “We inhabit part of our brokenness as we realise how blind to this glory much of world chooses to be.”
The Bishop said that Maundy Thursday in Holy Week was about “Bishop and people, coming to Christ’s table and wondering what he has in store for us, but trusting above all in the coming of his kingdom.”
Bishop Conway talked in depth about the symbolism of the oils which are also blessed during the Chrism Eucharist.
The Bishop has wasted little time in visiting many of his new clergy in their homes and listening to some of the key issues relating to parish life in the region.
He told the congregation: “You will no doubt be expecting a whole host of new initiatives from me in the months ahead. You may be pleased or anxious that I do have some ideas. Yet, the most important thing is that our common life is characterised by much prayer and celebration!”
Bishop Conway also talked about the link between reconciliation and forgiveness: “All disciples are commissioned to declare the forgiveness and mercy of God, revealed in their own lives, and called by God to apply everything wrought on Calvary to each penitent heart. Nonetheless, we do not always want to be forgiven.
He added: “I do not see how one can know true healing without reconciliation. This is at the root of what we might learn together about human flourishing and our wellbeing as ministers of the Gospel.”