Page 17 - The Portal Magazine - December 2024

THE P RTAL December 2024 Page 17

At the turning

of the New Year

Fr Michael Halsall

N OUR studies in Philosophy at Allen Hall Seminary this term, we have been exploring themes in
Ithe philosophical origins of the universe, and the interface between religious and scientific accounts of
creation. These are weighty matters, which cause the brain to hurt from time to time. However, one of the
vexing experiences of the consequences of creation is time … “like an everrolling stream, it bears its sons away”
… to quote the famous Remembrance Day hymn. To our common everyday perception, time is continuous,
consistent, and reliable. However, there is no reason to think that this is the case in other distant parts of the
universe, especially as we approach black holes. These phenomena give us hints of what the conditions may
have been in the early stages of the ‘old universe’.

Albert Einstein taught us to rethink our concepts of
time and space, or spacetime, as a continuum which
helps define our expanding universe. As we have ended
the Christian Year with the celebration of Christ the
King, then we contemplate the universal Lordship of
Jesus in both space and time. Looking backwards and
forwards, Jesus is the culmination of salvation history
in both directions. In terms of space, and the possibility
of life on other planets, then Jesus would also be Lord
of those communities also. Just how He would reveal
Himself and make Himself known to those lifeforms
is open to vast speculation, but these are the natural
consequences of our faith: we do not worship a local
deity, but a Universal King.

The Sunday Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Universal King, is an annual and solemn reminder
that we have an objective belief and trust that God is in Each time we attend mass then, we enter the eternity
control of the “changes and chances of this fleeting world”, which is God’s superessential nature: “The eternal
that we “may repose upon [the] eternal changelessness” offering he entered once for all into the holy places, not
of the Lord (DW:DO - Compline). Our liturgical cycle, by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means
unlike the passage of time, is not linear but cyclic. We of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption”
have come full circle and completed Year B, and now (Hebrews 9:12).
embark on Year C – the Year of St Luke. Each of our
liturgical cycles is complete and contained, and allows The concept of eternity, arising out of an expanding
us an ‘immersive’ experience of the visible phase of universe 13.7 billion years old, is not something that
Jesus’ time on earth. However, that completeness we consider all too often. The reality of the eternal
stretches out beyond the confines of the pages, and dimension of the mass is brought into focus as each
into eternity. The eternal, yet once-for-all sacrifice of Advent we wait in anticipation for the Incarnation –
Jesus on behalf of fallen and sinful humanity, is not the God/Man event - which draws earth AND THE
simply a historical event in human spacetime, but an WHOLE OF CREATION up to heaven.
eternal event: “The Church constantly draws her life Fr Michael Halsall is the Episcopal Vicar
from the redeeming sacrifice; she approaches it not only
through faithfilled remembrance, but also through a real for Vocations & Formation, lecturer
contact, since this sacrifice is made present ever anew, at Allen Hall Seminary, and Group Pastor. He
sacramentally perpetuated, in every community which may be contacted at
offers it at the hands of the consecrated minister”. (John michael.halsall@ordinariate.org.uk
Paul II, Ecclesia De Eucharistia, 12)