Word in the Hand

"Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally for your love." Assisi Undeniably, one of the most beautiful places on earth. Medieval buildings of pink granite, turned golden in the sun. Hot red geraniums, bold against the dark blue of a Northern Italian sky: the scent of olive groves, rosemary and lavender, and good coffee. Magical, an inspired setting for the romance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. And if you had only a passing awareness of Saints Francis and Chiara you would well imagine a romantic union between them; two young noble people in love. And they were; but not with each other; or rather, yes, with each other, but with the vision of Christ that they saw in each other’s eyes. A love for a Christ who is both Romeo and Juliet. Whose love is so all-consuming that he would sacrifice his life rather than live without us. A love for a Christ whose love is undeniable and eternal. Chiara and Francis, lovesick in their desire to live in the shadow of that love. St Chiara died 800 hun...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Kings 19:4 ‘I have had enough’ Reflection Enough This is one of those two-tone phrases that you can read so much into. You imagine that to have enough is to be satisfied – to be without need – a good thing; but not always. When I was a child - ‘I have had enough’ told me and my brothers that we had overstepped the mark. It is the phrase my nan and my mum would shout out as the final straw descended. As children we knew it was time to grow up a bit, and to try to make ourselves as invisible as possible! It was a phrase that could make my nan actually physically, truly, disappear. My nan, had the minuted routine of the woman of the fifties – Monday – Washing; tidying; shops – Tuesday- ironing; beds and upstairs carpets. Everything done by hand and on foot and woe betide anything or anyone that got in her way – until ‘I have had enough’. Then carpet slippers changed for court shoes, the wrap...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. Ephesians 4:20 ‘Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution’ Reflection Ambition is a wonderful thing they say. To be more than you are – to have a vision of something more – and to want to achieve that vision. We are encouraged to be this way. In worldly ambition we are meant to be on an uphill journey; and to be confident of success we follow the mountaineers rule of safety – maintaining the ‘three points of contact’. So, when climbing the ‘ladder of success’ we keep one foot on the lower rung; our experience; the job we’ve already got; the places we already know; everything that we are happy and secure about. Then we reach out, knowing the we have the support network in place; both hands holding on to friends; co-workers and supporters; knowing they will be there for us in our climb. Only then do we reach the other foot towards the next rung; confident that it will be there; in ex...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. John 6:12 ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted’. Reflection ‘Pick up the pieces’ It was a foolish thing to do; to walk knowingly into the hills without food or water. We should have all known better. Yet listening to the Rabbi we became entranced - by his vision; by his words; by his promises. This kingdom of his was where we wanted to be; It was a vision that we did not want to walk away from; knowing the life that waited for us back in the cities and towns. Knowing that there - there would be no honour in being meek, sad or downtrodden. We may have trusted him but we had lived in a different world. So we followed; like some great flock of sheep pushing to stay in sight of their shepherd. And like sheep sitting in the meadow grass of the early spring and suddenly realising that our spirits were full but our bellies were empty. Then wondering if this had all been a trick...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul.I am listening. St Paul to the Ephesians 2: 14 ‘he is our peace, who made both one’ Reflection It has become clearer that, the simpler the words, the more challenging the message. Paul, the champion of the gentiles, is telling his people that they are no longer left out – they probably didn’t even know they were left out - living as they had been, obliviously outside the Judaic bubble of promise. But when the invitation comes they grasp it with both hands and hang on for dear life despite the protests of their ‘older brother’, who consider themselves ‘there first!’ But in time, for many, two became one, as Paul loves to put it, in Christ. There is no difference – all of us can, if we wish, live happily in the knowledge that Christ’s peace is our promise too. But Paul’s writings aren’t just Paul’s words –like the rest of the New Testament, God has had a guiding hand. That’s why these words are still so relevan...