Will John of the Cross get "rid" of Ridley? Or will Nicholas Ridley "crucify" John of the Cross? These are the questions that emerge when an English martyr faces a Spanish mystic. Enjoy the last saintly square-off of the week and stay tuned for more Madness on Monday as Phillips Brooks takes on Simeon.
Yesterday it was Thomas Merton in a romp over Aelred 60% to 40%. The day wasn't without controversy as the Supreme Executive Committee was forced to deny allegations of a "Payment for Placement" scheme involving Saint Louis of France (or Missouri).
Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley was a leading voice in the Protestant movement in the English Church and was executed for heresy and treason in the reign of Queen Mary I. In 1547, during the reign of Edward VI, Ridley was named Bishop of Rochester. He worked with Thomas Cranmer to develop the 1549 Book of Common Prayer and was enthroned as Bishop of London in 1550. He was a tireless advocate for reformed doctrine and took part not only in its promotion but also in the prosecution of Catholic-minded bishops and clergy. Ridley gained royal notice and favor having preached with energy and zeal before King Henry VIII. Once Henry abandoned Rome, Ridley’s star rose even higher. He showed concern for the interior spirituality and moral fabric of individual churchmen and the wider Church as a whole. He was unburdened by theological depth and known more for the fiery energy with which he preached and taught. Writing on Roman Catholicism, he declared in his Piteous Lamentation on the State of England, “What word of God hath that devilish drab, for the maintenance of her manifold abominations, and to set to sale such merchandise wherewith, (alas, the madness of man!) the wicked harlot hath bewitched almost the whole world?”
As bishop, Ridley ordered altars to be removed from the churches of his diocese and replaced by spare tables for services of the Lord’s Supper. Ridley supported the dissolution of the monasteries and was fierce in his assault on religious imagery in churches, on the doctrines of purgatory, confession, and saints, and on other articles of Catholic faith.
He took part in a plot to remove Queen Mary from the throne in favor of Lady Jane Grey and preached that Queens Elizabeth and Mary were illegitimate and thus not true monarchs. It was for this treason that, after his excommunication for heresy, he was burnt at the stake on October 16, 1555. He was executed alongside fellow bishop, Hugh Latimer. (Cranmer’s execution for heresy followed five months later). Latimer famously said to Ridley before the execution, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as (I trust) shall never be put out.”
Collect for Nicholas Ridley (and Latimer and Cranmer)
Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, that, like your servant Nicholas Ridley, we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
John of the Cross
Born in 1542, John of the Cross (Juan de Ypres y Alvarez) was a Spanish mystic, friar, poet, and priest. His father came from a wealthy family that disowned him because he married a woman beneath their social stature. When John’s father died soon after John’s birth, his family was left struggling in poverty. John would later say that the sacrifices of his youth taught him to have joy and peace in the midst of dire circumstances.
As a young adult, John studied at a nearby Jesuit college and later became a Carmelite friar and priest in 1577. Soon after, Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, asked John to help her institute a series of reforms that would help return the Carmelite order to its original purpose of prayer and poverty. John agreed to take up her call and dedicated himself to greater prayer and self-sacrifice, including walking without shoes (as did other nuns and friars who sought a return to a deeper life of prayer). Those who participated in the reforms became known as “Discalced Carmelites” (or “Carmelites of Strict Observance”).
However, not everyone supported the reforms, and some of John’s fellow Carmelite friars kidnapped and imprisoned him in a 6x10-foot prison cell. Several times a week, John’s captors beat him. Even still, it was in the midst of his captivity that John wrote some of his most respected mystical writings, including poetry and spiritual commentary. Many of these writings reflected his dependence and journey to union with God. In The Dark Night of the Soul, one of John’s most well-known writings, John described the journey of feeling spiritually abandoned by God and how such a struggle can be a grace through which Christians can grow in faith and union with God.
After nine months in prison, John finally escaped and fled to a nearby convent. Over the course of his life, he traveled more than 30,000 miles and established more than eight monasteries across the Spanish countryside. John died in 1591 and was canonized a saint by Benedict XIII in 1726.
Collect for John of the Cross
Judge eternal, throned in splendor, you gave Juan de la Cruz strength of purpose and mystical faith that sustained him even through the dark night of the soul: Shed your light on all who love you, in unity with Jesus Christ our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Maria Kane
Vote!
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131 comments on “Nicholas Ridley vs. John of the Cross”
I just could not vote for someone who supported abolishing the monasteries . I did really appreciate Nicholas removing the altars and putting in simple table. In the end, had to vote for John.
I just could not vote for someone who supported abolishing the monasteries . I did really appreciate Nicholas removing the altars and putting in simple table. In the end, had to vote for John.
I voted for Ridley - in part because his feast day is celebrated with Cramner and Latimer. But also, even though there were measures he took that I don't hold with (destruction of religious imagery, doing away with altars, etc.), he was important to the struggle for the Reformation in England in the days when that was not at all a certainty.
Another interesting match up. After reading a few comments and re-reading the bio's I went with my "gut" & voted for John.
Perhaps it was partly because of the "slant" of the write-up, but Ridley sounds awful! I was all ready to vote for him because he helped set up the church I love, but I just couldn't. There are too many even today who use their "Christian Faith" as a weapon against others they don't like for whatever reason. There's a long, horrible tradition of that. Enough already!
My vote today was guided as much by who I'd like to learn more about as who I think deserves the Golden Halo. When reading the bios, I remind myself that something might be held back, in case of a future face-off.
Ridley also founded hospitals and centers for the poor in London, was an advocate for pastoral care for all people and, in short, embodied the best of Christianity and the best of the call to reform the Church around its core ideals.
I agree that the profile was lacking in positive attributes such as those.
First thought: "An easy vote for John -- no way I'd vote for Ridley"
Second thought: "Okay, my very certainty tells me that there is an invitation here, to unseat my certainty and think again about Ridley."
Third thought -- and vote: [still pending]....
I love your posts kew, and some of the other comments have helped round out the Ridley bio. As much as I enjoy Lent Madness, I fear that soon I will not be able to find my favorite post-ers in this community (like you) if it gets much bigger. Ah well, the trade-off of growth...it's a problem many churches wish they had!
I can see why today's Blogger isn't exactly in love with Nicholas Ridley. In an earlier post Jenny said that Ridley decided to "throw the baby out with the bathwater". As a rabid Anglo-Catholic I have to say that's exactly what he did. But if we dismiss Ridley for his mistakes then we, too, are throwing the baby out with the bath. His program of reform (in many ways sorely needed by the Church), his contribution to the Book of Common Prayer (a priceless gift to the Church), and his willingness to die for Jesus wins my vote.
It's comments like this that make me glad to be a Madnessian.
"Madnessian". I like it!
Today's vote was a "no-brainer" for me. I have read and inwardly digested the words of St John of the Cross since I was introduced to him in Confirmation Class by a very wise curate who understood my search for God. As another person wrote, Ridley was a reformer but he did "throw the baby out with the bathwater" . Destroying the monasteries, centers of learning, did not really help the Church.
With John of the Cross - bright light of poetic sanity, "My beloved, the mountains; the solitary, wooded valleys, the strange islands, the sonorous rivers,. The whisper of amorous breezes, the tranquil night.
At the time of the rising of the dawn, the silent music, the sounding solitude, the supper that revives and enkindles love." Spiritual Canticle (EA Peers, trans.)
Perhaps there would be benefit next year of CBs sharing with each other their first drafts of saint summaries? Seems to me that you need to know not only what your are presenting, but possible persuasion tactics of other authors. Of course, I'm sure the CBs aren't in the least bit protective of their assigned saints, or competitive in any way.
First thought, What is a Madnessian? Second thought, maybe comparing bios's would be a good idea for the Celebrity Bloggers. Third thought, keeping something back in original bio's is not a bad idea since there should be something to give out as the Saint's move forward in the brackets.
I meant it as a name for a member of the Lent Madness community. "Lent Madperson"--too much like business as usual for moi-- "Lent Maniac"--maybe, but not descriptive of all involved, particularly these very civil and thoughtful commenters and bloggers who exchange opinions and information unleavened by snark. So... Madnessians. As in Lent Madnessians. As in, this very interesting and stimulating community illuminating the Web. P.S., I think you're quite right about bloggers needing to save something for future rounds.
If some Roman Catholic prayers for you in your flooded apartment (and for the man upstairs too) would be of any comfort, you've got 'em. So sorry to hear of your troubles.
Dark Night of the Soul can be a very helpful book for people as they grow in faith. One of John's main teachings was that beginning Christians often depend on their emotional feelings about God's presense in their lives. That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course.
But as we grow in faith, John says, we often feel that God is withdrawing from us. God is doing this so that we learn to trust in God alone, not only in our feelings about God and our perceived experiences of God, which can be, at the extreme, very self-centered (and not God-centered) and almost an idol in place of the real God.
I'm not at the level of spiritual development that John was writing about, a true Dark Night of the Soul (which, he says, occurs at a very high level of spiritual development). But his teaching has been very helpful for me in trying to trust in God and not in my feelings and perceptions about God.
Lent Madness has given me some calm in the midst of turmoil the past few days. Having my apartment flooded by the actions of the man upstairs (a mortal) I have needed the time to reflect on what the saints have given! I wish there was a 'like' button for the comments for so many have spoken to me. Today I vote for the underdog as I so often do.
I am a big an of Ridley, but anyone who assaulted the concept of saints should not be burdened by winning in a competition of saints so my vote goes to St John of the Cross.
Having also been taught by the Jesuits I naturally favored John of the Cross but the story of his life also convinced and I find it hard to understand how his fellow Carmelites could have beaten and imprisoned him. It was interesting to learn about Ridley but his passion was too extreme for me. I feel blessed to live in a more tolerant age
Could one write a more unattractive biography of Nicholas Ridley?
Sorry Ridley, you are just not my cup of tea. St. John of the Cross it is...
You folks are so amazingly fair to us Roman Catholics. I don't know that I could be as understanding and forgiving of many of the sins and failings of the RC Church. You really are going to convert me before all's said and done. That said, I did vote for Juan de la Cruz -- not for his theology but for is truly wonderful poetry and his friendship with Big Teresa.
It's perfectly ok for parishioners to be "unburdened by theological depth" & Ridley was certainly overly-influenced by his times, but I've never been very excited by the Protestant reformers, either in the Anglican Communion or further from Rome. Wonder what part of the BCP Ridley was responsible for? Perhaps the service on the Churching of Women? At any rate, mystics & San Juan get my vote this time.
My NCAA team didn't win today. (We are forbidden to use the four letter "L" word in my house when it applies to my team and basketball). At least the outcome of the saint I voted for today is more hopeful. But he's still dead. I'm accepting condolences for the dead saint and the team that didn't win. At least LM will keep my spirits up for the next few weeks!
St. John of the Cross from the start..an inspiration…Nicholas Ridley not so much…Learned more from all the comments…thank you so much!!
I have to go with John of the Cross, because his sketches were the inspiration for one of my favorite paintings of the crucifixion, Salvador Dalí's Christ of Saint John of the Cross:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_of_Saint_John_of_the_Cross
Me, too. I had that picture in the entry way of our home in 1967. I was also reading, "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
Of the Soul," at the time.
I cannot pass up a good poet...
Let us be rid of the ridleys, fanatacism is always dangerous
Well, okay: as a lover of theological depth, mystics, altars, monasteries, and Carmelites...my vote is clear.
I'm glad I didn't have to invite either of them for dinner...particularly Nick. I don't have much against John, but I don't let my kids eat dinner barefoot, so why let him? I've had a long day...
St John of the Cross was perhaps an introvert who shared his personal, spiritual difficulties. Admirable that he helped others understand the Dark Night of the Soul. Ridley's work was certainly valuable, the BCP, for example, but "re-arranging" church furniture (and everything else) remains dangerous to this day. Voted for St John