"Crosses are never what we ordered..."

"Crosses are never what we ordered, but always either greater than we ordered, smaller than we ordered, or other than we ordered—and it does not matter which; for God measures the love with which they are carried, and not the poundage of each particular weight. Wreaths are never what we ordered, either; but, unlike crosses, the wreaths all have the same fault—they are all ridiculously big and splendid; because God’s thoughts are not as our thoughts, and he prepares for man such good things as pass man’s understanding. So the wreaths he orders for us throw into the shade all the crosses he assigns us, and it becomes painfully obvious that our crosses will never deserve our crowns.
 If you want to see a wreath and a cross to match it, you must go as far as the empty sepulchre outside Jerusalem…. Look closely at this cross and there you shall see, like a little jewel laid over the intersection of its arms, whatever cross you have faithfully borne for God’s sake. Alone, it would not be measurable against the glorious cross, but the great arms of Christ’s cross extend the spread of yours and fit it to the heavenly scale."

Austin Farrer:  from his sermon ‘Made to Order’ in the collection Said or Sung (The Faith Press 1960)


Arvo Pärt: Veni Creator 

Why should we ["Anglicans in (and not quite in) the official Anglican Communion" ] pray for the Conclave and care about the result? - from Timotheos Prologizes - see here