London: Ecumenical celebration of Charterhouse Martyrs

Archbishop Angaelos at Charterhouse

The names of 18 monks, martyred at the beginning of the Reformation, were read out in a moving ceremony in the space that once was the chancel of Charterhouse Priory, in the City of London on Saturday afternoon. As each name was called a red rose was placed on a model of the Tyburn gibbet on the site of the altar.

The annual Carthusian Martyrs Commemoration Choral Evensong began in the Charterhouse Chapel with prayers and readings by Rev Canon Jack Noble, Rector of St Giles, Cripplegate, Canon Ann Clarke, Preacher at Charterhouse, and Martin Pendergast from St Joseph's Pastoral Council. Music was performed by the Thames Chamber Choir, conducted by Andrew Campling.

The congregation included members from St Giles Cripplegate, Jewin Welsh Church, St Joseph's, Bunhill Row, St Mary Moorfields and Wesley's Chapel and Leysian Mission, who form the EC1 Ecumenical Partnership.

The Preacher was Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London.

In his sermon Archbishop Angaelos reflected on the meaning of martyrdom - from those who gave up their lives for their faith in the early days of the Church to martyrs in the 21st century.

His full homily text follows:

We are here to celebrate martyrs. The martyrs who lived and travelled from this place to a place where they made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the ultimate price. If only that were one story - and one group of courageous men and women. It would be wonderful. And yet this story has continued for the past 2000 years since Our Lord Jesus Christ himself ascended to the Cross for us, for our salvation. That we may have life and have it more abundantly.

Of course he did not go without warning. He warned his disciples in the Gospel of St Matthew chapter five "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake."

That's how it starts. It's the same and course in its the falsehoods, and accusations. The accusations were made against him when they said to Pilate: 'if you release him you are no friend of Caesar. Likewise with so many who pay the ultimate price as martyrs who are told, if you do not have allegiance to to someone or other then you fall short of those those who are able to, entitled to have a right to continue to live. And at that moment, at that time, they make the decision they decide that their loyalty is to their god to our god. Incarnate Crucified, Risen, Victorious and awaiting us in his kingdom. That is not just the decision of the martyrs it is our decision daily as well. For throughout generations, we have all as followers of Christ, and until today, been asked to make that decision.

Until today around the world we have people who still make that choice and who still make the ultimate sacrifice and who will still lose their lives to gain an everlasting life.

In the Book of Isiah today we heard God has called us by name for we are His. And that is true in every meaning of the word. We are truly called to be saved by His name as Christians and we are His because he saved us on the cross and through His Resurrection. And so it is up to us to pay homage not only to be faithful but to proclaim and confess that He is Our Lord and in Him is life. .. who make a point because that would be a philosophy . .. who stand before leadership because that would be a movement, if this is right for the whole world then we want to share that life out of our love for the world.

You see this is not about power. It is not about being liked. It is not about making a point. Not about winning an argument. This is about us sharing the understand of life that we have. That we have been given freely and we are asked to share freely.

In 2015 we had 20 Coptic Christians who were in Libya who were economic migrants. Simple men from simple villages and simple families who had gone to earn money to support their families. And they had a Ghanian friend Matthew. They were captured, imprisoned and tortured by the then caliphate. And then in a stroke of genius they were paraded along a Libya beach because they wanted to make a statement This was going to be a threat to Christians and Christianity starting from those in Egypt in the Coptic Orthodox Church and spread around the world that this is what happens to followers of Christ. They cued the news producers, cameramen, those who would spread propaganda.

This video they made of these men being killed, murdered, on that beachfront was supposed to change us all.

Those men died, reciting the name of Christ to quite literally their last breath.

I had the honour earlier this year and the blessing of preaching in the church where their remains were repatriated, in the village where they came from. And their friend Matthew now lies with them.

I went and saw thousands of people praying. With joy, with jubilation. It was at the commemoration of their martyrdom as we mark this commemoration today. It was their list of names that was being recited. Not the names of those who killed them. Their names that were remembered. Their names that had made a mark in their way - Because that is what we are called to do.

Again the Gospel of St John - Our Lord says to his disciples: 'the time is coming when whoever kills you will think that the offers God a service.' Thankfully in our relationships between our churches that's no longer the case today. But we still often demonise one another. We are different. Our positions are different. But at the core of what we believe - our faith - is the same. It varies in some respects. And yet we pray together today. We lift up our hearts together here today. And we witness together today.

Another connection we have with this place and I have personally, is that in our church our parish priests are ordained as married men . Our bishops are all celibate and come from monastic orders. And so those orders in and of themselves symbolise a sacrifice Our monastic brothers and sisters trace their origins to Egypt with the great St Anthony. And from him for so many around the world who shared that vision and that life. And so when you bring monasticism and martyrdom together they show the conviction of the Christian spirit.

Now of course we are all called to holy lives - married or single. In celibate orders or in any other kind of ministry. And yet, putting those two together creates a picture of commitment and dedication We are indeed called by His name. And we are indeed His. We should never fear anything that challenges us. We must understand as we also learn the Book of Isiah that we will not be left alone. We will not be abandoned. We will not be forsaken.

All Christians celebrate the feast of the Resurrection around this time. So Christ has risen! And he's always risen. He is risen forever. And so I feel just as comfortable that my friends who observed the western calendar weeks ago, say Christ has Risen. Because that is our knowledge, that is our belief. That is our courage. That is what makes us who we are. We understand the challenge and we understand the sacrifice.

As the Coptic Orthodox Church that has a deep heritage of martyrology so deep that our calendar started in the 284 which was the start of the reign of Diocletian, under whom we face the most treacherous wave of martyrdom.

Its easy for people to hear us and think that we want to die. In actual fact we don't. We love life. We love life here. But we also love life eternal. And so we strive to live here faithfully, courageously with understanding of our identity and a conviction to our faith. And if that leads us to the life to come in some expedited way so be it. Because as we are reminded in the Epistles - whether we live we are His. Whether we die we are His. We live and die as His.

What is important however, is not our death, what is important is what we do during our lives. What is important is that the lives of the martyrs are very much must part of our memory, part of our lives. That we follow in their footsteps. Please God no one here should every have to face that decision - but following in their footsteps during our lives - it may not come to the shedding of blood - but when I am asked to confess my faith in certain settings - am I ready to do so? Or do I not want to cause offence?

When proclaiming my faith in Christ causes offence then so be it. If proclaiming Christ goes against convention so be it. And if confessing Christ means that we have to pay a price - whatever it is so be it. For through our witness as a link in a chain, for us as an apostolic church that goes back to our Lord's ministry itself through St Mark who established the church in Egypt in the first century until today and beyond it means that those who come after us will also receive this message.

Just as we are commemorating courageous and faithful lives today, let us live courageous and faithful lives ourselves.... When we look at those who proceeded us and those who are paying the ultimate price today , we are moved by the words of St Paul in his second Epistles to the Corinthians: 'we are hard pressed on every side but we are not crushed. Perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted but not abandoned. Struck down but not destroyed.