Many of you will be familiar with the film “Sister Act”. A loud, rough casino singer from Las Vegas is placed in a convent by the police, after she witnesses a murder by a gangster and his mob. The singer, impeccably played by Whoopi
Goldberg, turns life in the convent upside down, until the gangsters finally catch up with her.
The gangster orders his hapless henchmen to shoot the
singer, but they won’t “because she’s a nun”. When he steps forward to do the deed himself, the Mother Superior, who has resented all the turmoil and change in the convent, steps forward and says “Yes, she is a real nun”. She goes on to list the virtues that this raucous woman has and how she has been a blessing to the Mother Superior and the other sisters.
The Mother Superior finally recognised it was the qualities of character and not the vows taken, the rules obeyed or the traditions upheld that made this woman holy and her life pleasing to God. She looked beyond the surface to what lay in the woman’s heart. (We will learn from "Sister Act” in August’s worship theme "The Gospel According to Hollywood!)
This week, the Church of England issued its response to the
consultation by the Government on Equal Marriage. Sadly, the response concentrates on tradition, rules and gender, instead of describing the characteristics of a good and wholesome marriage that nourishes and supports both partners and is pleasing to God.
It is worth noting that marriage as a sacrament only came into being in 1439. The English Marriage Act of 1753
lay down the legal requirements for marriage and, in 1836, the law was amended to allow the use of secular registrars as well as an Anglican clergy to perform marriages. Marriage has evolved over time, both in church and in civil law. In the 21st century, it is reasonable for it to evolve again.
God bless,
Cecilia
Goldberg, turns life in the convent upside down, until the gangsters finally catch up with her.
The gangster orders his hapless henchmen to shoot the
singer, but they won’t “because she’s a nun”. When he steps forward to do the deed himself, the Mother Superior, who has resented all the turmoil and change in the convent, steps forward and says “Yes, she is a real nun”. She goes on to list the virtues that this raucous woman has and how she has been a blessing to the Mother Superior and the other sisters.
The Mother Superior finally recognised it was the qualities of character and not the vows taken, the rules obeyed or the traditions upheld that made this woman holy and her life pleasing to God. She looked beyond the surface to what lay in the woman’s heart. (We will learn from "Sister Act” in August’s worship theme "The Gospel According to Hollywood!)
This week, the Church of England issued its response to the
consultation by the Government on Equal Marriage. Sadly, the response concentrates on tradition, rules and gender, instead of describing the characteristics of a good and wholesome marriage that nourishes and supports both partners and is pleasing to God.
It is worth noting that marriage as a sacrament only came into being in 1439. The English Marriage Act of 1753
lay down the legal requirements for marriage and, in 1836, the law was amended to allow the use of secular registrars as well as an Anglican clergy to perform marriages. Marriage has evolved over time, both in church and in civil law. In the 21st century, it is reasonable for it to evolve again.
God bless,
Cecilia
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