Thursday 25 December 2008

He is born

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)

This call radiates from the crib in ways more easily grasped by the wonder-filled minds of the children we bring to it than by ourselves.

Regardless of our own beliefs and doubts, our picking and choosing, and our denominational differences, all Christians are united in both the magnitude and the simplicity of the event we celebrate today: the birth of Jesus.
The world has its own take on Christmas; we all know that; and in the moments when we are able to brush aside the indecency, the absurdity and the immorality of the commercial pressures behind the Christless clamour and glitter of the weeks over which the festivities are spread, we can all acknowledge the enjoyment that is part of the whole experience, but this is Christmas. It is nothing if not the celebration of Christ’s birth. This is where Christianity began; this is where the idea of Christian unity had not even been formulated because there was, and never had been, any disunity.

Within our hearts we can all return to that beautiful simplicity of togetherness in trust and belief over this Christmas period. We can return to our long-lost presence as children before the infant Jesus in His crib. We can simply be still: we can stop and listen: hearken, watch and pray. We can allow the Spirit of God to speak into our deepest selves.
This is where our future unity can begin; where our faith in Jesus Christ began.
There are ways in which we seem to be too far gone and too far apart for it to come about in any other way; and seeming to be forever apart quickly hardens into a firmly held but mistaken belief that this really is the case.

Let us follow Mary’s example of humility and abandonment into the hands of God.
She laid aside her anxieties and rested in a peace born of complete trust in Him.
When the angel Gabriel spoke to her, at first ‘She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean’ (Luke 1:29) but her acceptance resulted in altogether different feelings: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;’(1:46,47)
Later, after The birth of Jesus, ‘she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.’ (2:19)

We are called to put the same degree of trust in God’s provision for us; to place ourselves in His hands as completely as He placed Jesus into the hands of Mary.

‘I hold myself in quiet and silence,
like a little child in its mother’s arms,
like a little child, so I keep myself.'
(Psalms 131:2)

A joyful, peaceful and wonder-filled Christmas to everyone.

Tuesday 16 December 2008

True words

For many people the modifying of language over time is an unobtrusive process, and may go completely unnoticed from one generation to another; some words recede from common usage until they are dropped altogether from normal conversation and the ideas originally conveyed fade into an infrequent checking of spelling and meaning in the pages of dictionaries. But for others the resultant changes in ideas and gradual drift away from essential truths is a matter for concern.
When considered together with a reduction in the future availability of some words – in many cases words which I and my family could not imagine our world being without – any discomfort we may have when honestly assessing our own interpretation of the veracity of words and passages in the Bible, becomes relevant to the frequently ungraspable realities of our own faith, and to the questionable reality of our own commitment to a particular denomination within the Church.
What is the Truth? Where is the Truth? How do we discern the Truth? More worrying still, how does the next generation recognize and understand the truth if words used in its conveyance are rarely used and little understood?

An article by Henry Porter, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/14/books-dictionary-culture in last Sunday's Observer newspaper (14.12.08) is worth a thoughtful read.
The words slipping away through our children’s fingers may not be relevant to their understanding of God’s Word but they are much needed in a world that should allow no reduction in the appreciation of the natural wonders around us. With so much conspiring to make life within a church community (as present members understand it) unattainable and seemingly of no significance, the natural world remains an essential link and an ever-open pathway for today’s young people to catch a glimpse of God in their own lives.

‘... the word ‘supernatural’ is scarcely respectable today. Is this because every generation needs a new vocabulary, needs to discard worn-out words and give language new life and strength? Very probably: but we should remember that certain words express certain ideas; if we change the words we may change the ideas too and so forget the truths that the words originally conveyed.’
(René Voillaume. Concerning Religious Life.)

My thoughts here are a continuation of an inner response to the ways women are frequently perceived, patronized and prohibited from fulfilling their potential within their Church. The apparent silence of women in the Bible should come as no surprise to us when we consider the context in which the scriptures were written, (the already quoted 1 Corinthians 14:33,34, makes this clear enough), but their silence then, though now seeming very loud, is far more readily understood than is the situation for the women of today.
Women are not expected to be silent today; in a quiet and unobtrusive way, Nancy reading to us is evidence of that. She may not be able to give her own ideas and insights into the passages she reads, but the fact that she can use her gift to the full, bringing out layers of God’s own meaning for those of us who listen, is more than just a beginning; it is a blessing. And it is not as though Nancy is the only one to be seen and heard; we have many women readers, and the sanctuary would look rather bare today if girls were still not allowed to become altar servers. The organizing, catechizing, leading of groups and maintaining the constant portrayal of what it means to be a Christian, would all be grossly diminished if women slipped away into the shadows and silence.
But, there is so much more. Some gifts, like Elizabeth’s welcoming smile, cannot be contained or hidden from view, but what is the real gift hidden in the depths of that welcome? Others, like another woman’s energy and commitment to social justice, poverty and peace, were clearer and active, but what if she had really been encouraged and allowed to lead? And then there are those who have played significant parts in my own journey; understated and calm; available and supportive; rarely seen, even less conversed with, but never forgotten. Beneath their obvious giftedness, whatever are the latent powers with which they have been blessed? I am not the only one to have sensed the Presence within them.
Such women are to be found in every parish throughout the world. The time will come for them to be heard and seen, to be known, proclaimed and experienced as equal in all ways. We know it will not happen today or tomorrow but it can be brought forward by ordinary Christian men: men like me, awakening the truths that sleep within us. It will take the gentle pressure of our collective awareness coupled with an insistence of the Holy Spirit’s guidance to spread the inner truth upwards through the tiers of pride, prestige and power. Every man should be prepared to strip away all layers of defence, assumed superiority, self-confidence and pride, not to stand aside in confusion, suppressed anger or disbelief, but to allow the Spirit of God to breathe in every heart and mind, and to discern what each of us truly believes. From this simple reality will grow the awareness of any changes needed to conform to the will of Christ for His Church.

How do I unravel the contradictions that are so much a part of what goes on within me? (Contradictions that must be apparent here.)
I believe the Bible to contain the Word of God, but do I believe it in the way others expect me to believe? And who are these others?
I know that I tend to pick and choose as much as anyone else; why does that admission not frighten me?
What is the Truth? Where is the Truth? How do I discern the Truth?
What is gospel? What is The Gospel?

Earlier this year, Patsy Rodenburg, a noted voice coach, was interviewed on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. (3.3.08)
Speaking about the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barach Obama for the Democratic Party nomination in the United States , she said, “I’m very fearful that at this moment a lot of people don’t want the truth, they want quality.”
Is this not one of the dangers in the Church today? We are brought back to the power of words for good or ill, and the phenomenal swaying power of words from the mouth of anyone with a gift for getting their message across to those who hear them. Truth can be hidden and lost in the apparent blessings of such quality, but it is reassuring when words from the Bible, no more and no less, when brought to life by a gifted reader should convey the Truth to me.

It is little wonder that it has taken so many years to acquire my inner certainties, but it is a source of peace that I know they will never be lost.


Dear Lord, I know what lives as truth within me;
Let me not be misguided by the dark corners of my self.
Lead me always, that I may do nothing contrary to Your will,
And let me speak no more on this without Your bidding.

Monday 15 December 2008

Inner truth



It always takes me by surprise when some aspect of my faith: my belief or disbelief; my agreement or disagreement with what I believe to be the general understanding, if not the clearly defined teaching of the Church, comes unexpectedly into clearer focus.

Such is now the case as a result of feelings generated by my recent meeting with Nancy (previous post) and by the recollection of particular qualities in other women who have figured in my faith journey, contrasting abruptly with the following words of St Paul read while randomly dipping into the Bible a few days ago; words previously skimmed with a thoughtless disregard as I have never taken them to be relevant in today’s world. This time, however, the words spoke loudly and deliberately from the page. I have learned to be attentive at such times.

‘As in all the churches of God’s holy people, women are to remain quiet in the assemblies, since they have no permission to speak: theirs is a subordinate part, as the Law itself says.’ (1 Corinthians 14:33,34)

I cannot imagine how some of the Christian women I have met, have know, and know today, feel when they read or hear such words.
What I do know, without any shadow of doubt, is that whatever the official line of the Church of which I am a committed life-member, and whatever the stated beliefs of other individuals whose opinions I trust and value, such verses from scripture are not to be taken as God’s instruction to His people in today’s Church. The Christ who is risen and dwells among us today in the ever-present form of the Holy Spirit, as well as in the intangible but undeniable form of the timeless wanderer of Palestine, Jesus: the constant Companion who has trodden life’s paths with others as He once trod them with me, expects us to have matured in our understanding over the last two thousand years. We are human; we are men and women; all that has changed over the last two millennia is proof of our advance in ability and understanding, while the frightening advance of evil that is entwined in those changes is also proof of our weakness and inherent vulnerability. Jesus knows our potential and our weakness: He has been there through His being here as a man, in the world, among men and women. He understands us, men and women both. He knows us.
My faith – not the apparent black and white of what I am supposed to believe through having been told, but the beliefs born of my awareness of God’s presence in my life: His promptings, His touch, and the ever present teaching and direction of His Spirit through my conscience – tells me, teaches me, leads me, shows me where I must look for certainty, where doubt, and where I should not look for anything, placing all my trust in Him and every corner of my life completely in His hands. I feel that my certainties come from Him and my continuing doubts live because I do not hear Him well enough: they live because my weakness and my sinfulness also live.

My certainties include my appreciation of the contributions made by women in the Church, and I shall always be willing to speak with them and for them as they strive against attitudes which do not come from the mind of God.
Women today need not ‘remain quiet in the assemblies’, since they require no permission to speak: theirs is no longer a subordinate part. Those who insist on trying to maintain the validity of every word in the Bible for today’s world are not allowing the Spirit of God to speak into their hearts, minds and souls. Wherever their supposed guidance comes from, it is not from our paternal and maternal parent, our Father God; it is not from Jesus, and nor is it from the Holy Spirit, both of whom are extensions of the Father and do only as He wills.
Deep within myself I know this, and having acquired my certainty in ways that are undeniable, I believe I know this as we all should know it: as a human being, as a member of the human family, and as a member of Christ’s Church as He would have it be. In this context, it is purely coincidental that I am a man.
I am a member of Christ’s Church, listening and watching for His return after two thousand years of waiting, and I would hope that when He does return He will find all of us, women and men, standing beside each other as equals. Until we achieve that end within His Church we shall never be ready for the reality of Christian unity, and we shall not be prepared for the day of our Lord’s return.

Much has been said and written about St Paul’s attitude to women, and, misogynist or not, (I believe not), his words are unavoidably there as part of his beliefs and teachings. If we believe the Bible to contain only inspired writings which are to be received as the Word of God, we have no way of avoiding or excluding their presence from our spiritual lives unless we include ourselves (if we dare be that honest) among the innumerable members of what is, in effect, the largest Christian denomination of all: the selective, live by this rule, bend that one, ignore the other, suit myself, ‘pick-and-mix’ Christians. Though non-existent as a coherent and communicating body, with their numbers including those who would never admit to sharing much in their backgrounds, denominational territory and rigidly protected grasp on the truth, these self-proclaimed Christians, collectively, though inadvertently, constitute a vast but nebulous ecumenical movement. They are bringing members of the various groups closer to each other by dissolving the barriers, though the resulting paths which would allow access between persons are so convoluted that they will not be seen, let alone be found and successfully followed. The barriers still separate as do the towering hedges of a maze, but there is a way of getting to the other side of every barrier; in the maze we know it, however confusing it may be, while in our selective acceptance and rejection of scripture, of dogma and of expectations, we never recognize our enabling of a mutual accessibility. That recognition would send many of us scurrying back to the denominational corners we had never knowingly left, where our spiritual worlds would carry on the same; we would still pick and choose but with a greater certainty that ecumenism is a very unhealthy idea; it is not for us: it is not for me, for him or for her; it is not for real Christians: my sort of Christians: my denomination: my church.

In spite of this hidden undercurrent of increased compatibility, this is a widespread weakening of what it means to be a Christian, and is, in fact, no friend of Christian unity. It is a movement towards the further splintering of an already fragmented Christianity; a progressive spread of the effects of allowing individuals to decide for themselves in matters of faith, biblical interpretation and adherence or otherwise to church teaching. It is the faltering and weakening, but still destructive outcome of protest upon protest; of difference upon difference; of division upon division: the inevitable outcome of prolonged and expanding Protestantism. Unity is impossible in such circumstances, and ecumenism will never blossom without the Catholic Church. (One does not have to look far to find those who regard ecumenism as a Catholic plot which is slowly seducing members of Protestant churches and their derivatives into moving closer to the Roman Catholic Church; something they insist should be avoided at all costs by every non-Catholic: in their thinking, by every ‘real’ Christian.)

What is as meaningful today as when it was first written is not what Paul had to say about the place of women in the Palestinian world of two thousand years ago. It is everything else: all that our Lord has said, and continues to say through him in his letters to the early churches. The very fact that his teaching rings true for Christians in today’s very different world is witness to the inspired nature of his writings. Those brief passages based on what was to become relegated to the past through his own teaching as much as anyone else’s, can so easily be laid aside as belonging to the world Jesus came to change, to supersede and to redeem. The quotation I reacted to so strongly begins and ends with the reason for Paul’s inclusion of it in his letter: ‘As in all the churches of God’s holy people ... as the Law itself says.’
Jesus brought us into new territory: into a new world and a new covenant. The Law belongs to the old world; to Paul’s old world. The Law and the old covenant are behind us if only we will let go of them. And who is this ‘we’? One answer of course is the Jewish people with their adherence to the Law and to the old covenant, but within Christ’s Church it is for the most part people like me. Not every member of the human race: man, woman and child, but men like me. The entire responsibility for the unwarranted continuation of the subjugation of women within the Church rests with every man who has ever called himself Christian while occupying a place of influence within the body of Christ. The responsibility rests with me.
My regret and my sense of shame end here.

May the very last words of the Bible echo within the hearts of every man and woman long after each closing of the book.


‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.’
(Revelation 22:21)

Sunday 7 December 2008

Voices

As St Paul wrote in the already quoted 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, ‘There are many different gifts ... there are many different ways of serving ... there are many different forms of activity ...’; all are needed and all are of value in the building of God’s Kingdom and His Church, as well as in the advancing of individual sanctity and faith in both those who give and those who receive. ‘... it is always the same Spirit ... the same Lord ... the same God who is at work in them all.’

As I stepped out of our local shop yesterday, I recognized a lady getting into her car and was at once compelled to speak to her.
I know Nancy and her husband by sight and by name, being members of the same parish and having frequently seen them in church over the years, but I do not know them as people, as individual persons, as characters: in reality, I do not known them at all.
I am ashamed to say that I do not recall having ever spoken to either of them before.
It is a long time since I first became aware of just how many people there are whom I recognize, can put a name to, see regularly either as neighbours or as members of a congregation, and yet do not know even superficially. It has always been a slightly troubling awareness: an ongoing discomfort: a matter of conscience. Occasionally it has been more than that, reaching a level where it has almost become a hurt. When such a moment has arisen, it has always been coupled with regret and repentance for not having spoken earlier to whomever the person may be; that person always being someone for whom I have had something to say which has remained unsaid. I have had the thought but it has remained sterile because my voice has not been heard.
I have held my tongue through a combination of reasons which seem to take their turn at surfacing into consciousness; a shyness at meeting new people; a reluctance to be the one to make the initial approach; a fear of opening a contact too far and generating an acquaintance I do not wish to maintain; a fear of being asked to do something, or of being asked to go further than I want to go; a fear of others getting to know me; a fear of others comparing what they find with what they had previously assumed or guessed at, and learning that I fail their expectations on almost all counts. Spread thinly but undeniably throughout this unexceptional and very human mix of hesitancy, insecurity and inadequacy, is another strand which I find less easy to accept.
For one who thinks himself (whatever other faults be admitted) neither proud nor arrogant, to have my instinctive inclination to hang back suddenly laid out before me as a form of pride is disturbing and potentially frightening. It presents the possibility of this being the other side of the flipped ‘humility’ coin, where, once it is in the air nobody quite knows how it is going to land, and even when it comes to rest those present will see different end results, leading to continued disagreement and argument. I recall someone’s immediate response to the word ‘humble’ being used in a discussion, not with reference to any person but simply as the relevant word: – “If you ever think you are humble then you are definitely not.” A misuse and inappropriate emphasis and understanding, as I interpreted it, of a valuable way of looking at humility readily found in books, talks and teachings. I can already hear her voice somewhere saying, “If you think you are not proud, then you definitely are.” For me, an unhelpful thought; and not a helpful voice.

But there are other voices speaking other words, and I thank God for them.
What compelled me to speak to Nancy was her voice: her exceptionally helpful voice. If I had not responded to the inner prompting, letting another opportunity slip away, or if I had done so but hesitated long enough to be just too late to catch her, this would have become another of those moments: a hurt that may have lingered for days. But it did not.
Nancy and her husband, although almost strangers to me – and themselves perhaps not even recognizing me as, unlike them, I have not done anything to make them aware of my presence – are memorable to me through the use of their gifts. Through utilizing their giftedness they are recognized and valued for something more than being naturally gifted in the sense of skilfully exercising a nurtured talent; they are valued as being gifted by God in a way that has enabled the natural talent to be directed towards a maturity expressed for the benefit of others: for edification rather than an empty uttering of words. They are both gifted lectionary readers.

When that word ‘edification’ comes to mind, I normally think of the hoped-for results of preaching and teaching; of words derived from the spiritual thoughts of the speaker. I may benefit spiritually from reading the Bible to myself, away from all sounds and distraction, but I do not usually find listening to others reading the epistles or the psalms edifying. The scriptures come to mind only because that is the one place where I know I have come across the word, and St Paul speaks of it at a time when none of the New Testament existed in the written form we so easily take for granted today. Every early advance of Christ’s Church was achieved through the spoken words of the apostles and their followers until such documents as Paul’s letters began to be read aloud.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus Paul says, ‘let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners;’ (4:29). Of this verse St John Chrysostom said, ‘That is to say, what edifies your neighbour, that only speak, not a word more. For to this end God gave you a mouth and a tongue, that you might give thanks to Him; that you might build up your neighbour.’ (Homily 14 on Ephesians.)
Every verse of the Bible has the power to edify us; the limitations are in ourselves, not in the Word of God.
We must search and listen for the words that will bring us to life; they are in there somewhere, but it takes more than our coming across them to make us recognize them as the ones we need. We may not know them when they are first found, but with God’s blessing in the form of the right person crossing our path, we can have them brought to life, not simply in themselves through skilful presentation, but within ourselves through a gifted interpretation.
This is what Nancy and her husband have done for me, and though I have thought it frequently, the years have passed without my uttering a word to either of them – until yesterday. In touching me anew with the meaning of the words they have read, they have blessed me and lead me deeper into that meaning; they have drawn me further into my relationship with the Word behind, beneath and between the words.

Hearing and listening attentively to what we hear, begins an absorption into the Presence that underlies the words on the page. The Holy Spirit, through the gifted reader, lifts the words from the page and lays them before our understanding as a gift: as pearls that are not to be idly cast before those without the ears to hear. We are the ones for whom that gift is given; we are the ones for whom the reader has been blessed with the gift of turning God’s Word in scripture into edification rather than words of merely superficial worth. Such ability is the fruit of two natural gifts combining to become a spiritual gift given for the benefit of all who hear; the ability to interpret the written word, and to convey the interpretation without loss and without distraction through an inspired utterance of the words.

My thanks to Nancy and her husband: yes. But more than this; thank you Lord for them: for bringing them to us; for Your gift to them, and for our ability to hear Your Word more clearly through them.
Nancy’s path crossed mine yesterday, as mine crossed hers, and I have at last said what should have been said long ago: the words I needed to utter have been spoken. Perhaps, unknown to me, Nancy also needed to hear me speak.

For that also, dear Lord, I thank you.
Amen

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Expressions

‘Philosopher George Santayana once remarked, “Art critics talk about art. Artists talk about where you can buy good turpentine.” ... True artists do not spend much time on talks or thoughts. They prefer to be absorbed in the concrete and direct experience of beauty instead of working with its abstractions.’ (Kenneth S. Leong. The Zen Teachings of Jesus.)

True artists are filled with an ability to see at least one aspect of the world around them in ways that others find impossible, improbable, and generally imperceptible; at best, their recognition may be intermittent or fleeting, or otherwise constant but foggy. Not only are the artists among us blessed with this ability, but they have a corresponding will to bathe in it as an essential part of their lives: it is simply part of them; it forms the empty canvases, the uncut stones, the blank pages, the unsung notes and the un-danced steps among which they search and breathe, strive and dream.
What makes them artists in the minds of others is their desire to express themselves and to reveal to the world at least a glimpse of what they have seen: to those unable to see for themselves and to those who may see but are unable to express and condense their attraction into the skilfully worked end-products we call works of art. Artists live in a balance of two abilities: the ability to see (to hear and to feel) and the ability to express what they see, the two being linked and brought into ever closer harmony by their desire to unite the two and by their longing for others to share in the experience. They are filled to overflowing with whatever inspires them to produce their artistic creations. Their art is the expression of, and the product of their absorption.

Insofar as I do not regularly draw, or paint, or sculpt, or compose, or perform, I am not an artist; but there is a hidden part of me that knows well that I am an artist. I write a little, most of what I complete ending up among the pages I post here, but even without that, and with little if any other evidence to support my instinctive awareness, there is much in me that feels that I am an artist. I have always shied away from any realization of those feelings in purposeful forms of proclamation or action, but I have never avoided my natural tendency toward stillness and a quiet that allows entry to a more than superficial awareness of the natural world around me. That tendency has placed me at the disposal of a leading that takes me deeper into, rather than further out in, that world; toward something that beckons me even further into the beauty and the quiet of which so many seem unaware.
The artist is absorbed in a direct experience of beauty; I am absorbed in the Presence that underlies the tranquillity and harmony which enable the manifestation of beauty. The artist is driven to create an expression of his or her interpretation of the experience; I am compelled to express my awareness of the Presence. The artist strives to create a form that conveys the interpretation to his or her own satisfaction, while hoping that others will correctly interpret the work for themselves. I struggle to achieve similar ends with whatever I write, hoping to convey something of the underlying peace and truth – the Presence – in ways that are accessible to those who may read it, and in a form that speaks back to me.

When I began writing here, with consciousness overfilled and pressing with a sense of having something to say, but with no real idea of what it was I should speak of, I knew that attempts to unravel my thoughts would take me closer to wherever I was meant to be going. My very first words summed up my feeling at the time; - ‘Wherever this may lead, I hope it will lead both of us there: not just you, and not just me’ - and in knowing that those words still ring as true for me today, I find confirmation that I am heading in the right direction: ‘that quiet "Amen" to the sometimes doubted validity of our journey’ that we all need from time to time.
I wander along my path, trying not to move far from the edge beyond which I find an increasingly unfathomable but compelling attraction: an untouchable certainty somewhere out there in the mists of an eternal paradox. I hope I shall continue my walk until I have no more steps in me, and if my future overflowing happens to include the continuation of this trail of words scattered among my footsteps, I hope anyone picking them up will find something for themselves among them: a seed that may lodge and take root within their own prepared and fertile ground.
Just as artists must come to terms with the fact that many viewers of their work will not grasp the message they are conveying, so too I am aware that however I attempt to convey my thoughts in words, they will have little meaning for many who dip into them. I must trust that those who do grasp whatever I try to say will benefit in some way from what they find, and I must hope that those who do not will find the expressions of other writers and artists full of meaning for them. We must each follow our own leads, and for me, on these pages, that means writing in the only way I can: in the way that comes naturally to me.

Such thoughts raise within me the possibility of doing something I have not done before.
It is possible that the absence of any list of blogs I read, and the fact that there is no facility for posting comments at The Very Edge suggests that I was never likely to include here any reference to other blogs. However, I am aware that many who visit here will be looking for something I cannot give, or for the same theme but expressed in different, and for them more meaningful ways, and will benefit from such offerings if only they could find them. There are an awful lot of blogs out there, and once the choice has been narrowed down to more manageable numbers, it is still easy to believe that what you are searching for does not exist, or that the very words you need may have been written but you will never know it because you will never find them.
Anyone feeling compelled to write for others on spiritual matters is, at heart, an artist; some of course are a great deal more. We see, hear and feel something in a way that has simply become a part of us, and in a way we long to share with others. Our experiences differ but the Presence that gives rise to our fullness, and to our wish to communicate it to others, is the same: the same Spirit dwells within each of us.

‘There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all.’ (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Any one of us can walk through an Art Gallery regarding some exhibits as rubbish, others as passable, and recognizing others as works of art, in each case judgement being based on our own tastes and sensibilities, not on what others might say. In the midst of all this variety it is the occasional vision from which we cannot easily tear ourselves away that makes us continue our search, longing for more. In our own ways, we who write in this wordy web are providing the same possibilities for all who wander the internet galleries. Those of us who are absorbed in our faith, following a lead and feeling compelled to share our spiritual imperatives, are here for a reason: we are to attempt the production, not of works of art, but of meaningful seed-sowing invitations to others to take their place, to trust and to persevere on their own spiritual paths toward the life God holds out to all mankind. Through our own absorption we hope to attract others, not to ourselves, but to the Presence in which we are absorbed. Each of us is writing for someone, somewhere.

I have recently been reminded of how diverse we all are in our spiritual lives, even when rooted in the same traditions; past experiences have been recalled where differences have become apparent between people who are outwardly the same; sharing the same faith, the same priests and other religious contacts, and the same parish communities and church buildings. But having spent time reading a blog that brought these things to mind, I recognized within it the same essential similarity underlying our differences that holds together the diversity of belief and interpretation within any spiritual community. We are following parallel paths, always seeking for ourselves but knowing that we are far enough into our journeys to feel the responsibility to hold our hands out to others whose paths we may cross. Every one of us needs a steadying hand at some time, whether as encouragement, consolation or in the unsteadiness of overwhelming joy.

If you should find that my offerings are not for you, I hope you will continue to search for the words you seek; it matters that you do.
They are out there somewhere, and you will know them when they are found.


Dear Lord, grant that my words among these pages may never be evidence of my foolishness. Grant that I may, as did Francesco Bernadone, ‘not so much seek to be understood as to understand.’

‘A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in airing an opinion.’
(Proverbs 18:2)

About Me

Who I am should be, and should remain, of little consequence to you. Who you are is what matters; who you are meant to be is what should matter most to you. In coming closer to my own true self, I have gradually been filled with the near inexpressible: I have simply become "brim full", and my words to you are drawn from those uttered within myself, as part of an undeniable overflowing that brings a smile to my every dusk, and to my every new dawn.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.

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