He receives the grace of God to serve his people
CHARLES, by the grace of God, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith – that was how he was proclaimed when he succeeded Elizabeth II.
At the Coronation, that was confirmed – and right at the heart of the service was the grace of God.
The ceremony is not just about the stunning moment of the King being crowned. It is about how the King needs the grace of God to carry the burden of his office and to work for the people.
There were two very special, sacred moments when His Majesty received that grace, or blessing.
The first came when he was anointed with holy oil.we could not see that moment, hidden behind a screen.the Archbishop of Canterbury described it as an encounter between the King and the King of Kings – Jesus Christ.
The King went from being in a simple white shirt to being dressed in a fabulous gold coat, crowned and holding the regalia – St Edward’s Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre – all topped with a cross, again a sign that Charles might be King, but he serves Jesus Christ.
After the crowning, the King and Queen received that other special moment of God’s grace: Holy Communion.
The Coronation, at that moment, was both very special – and very ordinary. For today there will be people at church services receiving Communion.
Those were the ancient elements of this Coronation. But there were noticeable changes, too.
One of the greatest was the role of women: girl choristers, the Sword of State carried by Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt, the women bishops.
Another was the involvement of representatives of different Christian denominations and of other faiths.
Among them wasvincent Nicholas, thearchbishop of Westminster – the first time a Roman Catholic cardinal has participated in a Coronation for 500 years.
At the end, there was a special greeting from those faith leaders as he left the Abbey. It completed a remarkable service that managed to blend both ancient and modern. ● Catherine Pepinster is the author of Defenders of the Faith – the British Monarchy, Religion and the Coronation, published by Hodder and Stoughton