STATIONS OF THE RESURRECTIONJesus Appears To SaulActs of the Apostles Ch. 9 vs 1-18Today we travel our final journey of our Stations of the Resurrection, a journey where we have seen how the resurrection affected and changed the disciples, and consequentially the world. Finally we come to see the conversion of St. Paul, a man who had not met Jesus in the flesh, but who met him so powerfully in the Spirit, that the early Church was empowered by his missionary zeal, and we continue to be inspired by his writings to this day.Have you ever completely changed your mind about someone? Sometimes we hear stories about people falling in love with a person who they initially disliked, sometimes they are true stories and sometimes they are the mainstay of Mills and Boon fiction writers. We all like a happy outcome from a fractious relationship, but it usually seems much easier for others than ourselves. When Saul literally saw the light (of Christ) on his journey to Damascus, he changed completely and he was certainly “born again”. It is a story that is stranger than fiction.When thinking about Saul we have to remember where he was coming from. He was a strict Jew and Pharisee who knew all about the messianic prophesies of the scriptures and he had made his mind up that these followers of Jesus, who were now proclaiming his resurrection and divinity were frauds and usurpers.When we become Christians we put our trust in the Lord, but how do you think those early followers of the risen Lord felt about this man Saul? Saul was a man who was happy to hold the coats of those who stoned to death St. Stephen, and then took on a commission to go to Damascus to arrest other Christians. Our reading today tells us not only of the conversion of St. Paul but also of the conversion of Ananias, from someone terrified of a dangerous man, to an instrument of the Lord in releasing Saul from the bondage of his past self. If we move to a more recent time, how would a community of Jewish people during the Second World War react if a Gestapo officer arrived and said that he had decided to become a Jew. The anger and suspicion would have been immense from both the Jews and the Nazi officer before there could be total trust. Could you have been a person reach out in such circumstances for God's sake?The fact that Saul, or St. Paul as we know him, saw the risen Christ is so important for us all, not because of his missionary zeal and his writings, but because of his example to all of us. He saw and believed and acted out his faith, to the point of martyrdom. Most of us will not experience a vision of the risen Lord, but as he said to Thomas,”Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. St. Paul's witness was different but complimentary compared with the disciples who had walked with Jesus in this world.Bishop John Robinson in his book “But That I Can't Believe!”, points out that St. Paul's writings (he calls them his gospel), were all centred on Jesus and the resurrection, but he points out that Paul never mentions the empty tomb, because it was not central to him. Robinson points out that “The empty tomb is not the resurrection any more than the shell of the cocoon is the butterfly”. For all of us today, we cannot see the empty tomb, or any physical evidence of the resurrection, but we can know the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit, here with us in our lives and in our Church.Fr. Terry
Thoughts for Today 2nd June 2020From the real world, sublime and challengingSouth American music, rhythm and the Falls….We were looking forward to the Iquazu Falls as we headed to Argentina via Ilhabela’s remote rain forest, and Uraguay’s Montivideo.Walking was with a different rhythm as we had an extraordinary dance troupe from Rio performing for us on the ship with their distinctive throbbing music. We boat transferred enroute to Ilhabela and the Mata Atlantica rainforest with a guide and biologist . Ilhabela has a population of 4,000 people and 360 waterfalls. It was a delicate place to visit in the humidity and precarious walking conditions underfoot. Citronella and Deet were worn to protect us. We came across funghi of many sorts and the most fascinating was the one in the photo. I asked the question: ‘What is this one called?’ and the reply from our biologist Marcello was ‘Composer’s Ear’!Three days later, the 28th January, we visited Montevideo with its large busy port and made friends with the men and women of the heavily armed city police. Two ladies in white coats were scientifically ridding the tourist route of graffiti near to the Romanesque Cathedral with its huge cupola. An amazing sunset and crescent moon that night heralded another special day ahead. We had an early start with a two hour flight from Beunos Aires to Iguazu for the Aguazu Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. On arrival at the National Park we walked to the Narrow gauge, propane driven railway (made in Ross on Wye in 1995) for the 7 kilometre, 20 minute ride. The racoons escorted us towards the extraordinary wetlands covering 1,300 kilometres. We walked the long way across the bridges of the board-walk to the wetlands spotting a plush-crested jay on the way. We finally heard the musical thunder of the Devil’s Throat’ the first falls of the one and a half miles wide of falls. In no time we were soaked from head to foot making it hard to take camera proof photographs. With the gallery of visitors from all over the world we wondered sight and the sound of such a force of water from a height of 269 feet (Niagara 165 feet).Walking again, and with a second train ride, we came to another part of the Falls in an area of wetland called St Martin’s. This photo was taken across the great expanse of the glorious protected Unesco Heritage site. We never knew whether this trip would be possible, but we still reflect upon the music of the water and the gift it is. It was hard to leave that place.Meanwhile, back at the airport I was escorting our party of eight for the last flight back to Buenos Aires. The guide stayed with us until our flight was called. Duty Free Kit Kats were shared with the Balmoral 8 and with a gentleman who sat by us, Fr.Tim, a Roman Catholic Priest from Toronto. He was Chaplain for another cruise ship going to Antarctica from Buenos Aries. We compared notes and shared a farewell liturgical gift of chocolates, a precious chord of unity was struck.The diamond jewels of the lights of Buenos Aries heralded our late return back to the city…looking forward to our second day there.With blessings.Edward and Jane
Memories - Thought for the day on Whit Monday, 1st JuneToday is Pentecost Sunday or as I remember it - Whit Sunday. The service today took my mind back to my childhood. I am sure that many of you remember the old traditions of Whitsuntide. Whit Sunday, followed by Whit Monday, was usually a Bank Holiday. Whitsuntide in 1967 was replaced by Spring Bank Holiday which was the last Monday in May. This year, Spring Bank Holiday in Ireland has fallen on Pentecost Sunday and Monday which I regard as the proper dates, but I'm old fashioned.I was brought up in Dronfield Woodhouse in Derbyshire, which was then a small village. The town of Dronfield is between Sheffield and Chesterfield and is about 2 miles from the village of Dronfield Woodhouse. My family church and the one which I attended is St Swithin's in Holmesfield which is 1 mile from my home. Every Whitsuntide we had new Whitsuntide clothes and shoes, which I believe was traditional in some areas, and we had to wear them on Whit Sunday. On Whit Monday, a number of people from the Church went on the Whit Walk, round the village of Holmesfield, pausing outside the homes of people who were somewhat wealthy, singing a hymn and the Vicar holding out his hand, expecting to be given some money. My father who was an avid church person and used to train the choirboys, strongly disagreed with what he regarded as begging, but the church needed the money, of course and the Whit Walk used to generate quite a sum. One of my main memories as a child is of doing the Whit Walk in new shoes and usually getting blisters on my feet and having sore feet for days. A thought for Pentecost - quote from Second Vatican Council - The Church Today: 'Christ is now at work in the hearts of men through the energy of His Spirit. He arouses not only a desire for the age to come, but, by that very fact, He animates, purifies, and strengthens those noble longings too, by which the human family strives to make its life more human and to tender the whole earth submissive to this goal.'I was looking on the internet for some suitable prayers for this time and came across this prayer for the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the current climate of the COVID19 virus, the lockdown and the resultant unhappiness, human greed and the general feeling of being fed up, I thought some of the wording rather appropriate.Christ Jesus, before ascending to Heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit to your apostles and disciples. Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of Your grace and love.• Grant us the Spirit of Fear Of The Lord, that we may be filled with a loving reverence towards You;• The Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfilment in the service of God while serving others;• The Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation;• The Spirit of Knowledge that we may know You and know ourselves and grow in holiness;• The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light of Your truth;• The Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing Your will, seeking first the Kingdom;• Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever;Teach us to be your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with Your Spirit.AMENCarol Pittaway
Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. Luke 1: 39-49 “39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”Greetings are an important part of our life. Every time we meet someone it involves some sort of greeting. Remember how it used to be a handshake, now it is a smile or a wave, a cheery Hi or maybe something more formal.During the past few weeks and months most of us have had to be limited by how we greet each other. I know that I have found this to be difficult especially when you meet friends and you want to give them a hug, of course our greeting depends on the level of intimacy that we share with someone. We save our jokes for people who speak the same language and then our more formal greetings for those we do not know so well. With friends and those who share our circumstances we can be completely open and free.But this freedom may be realised in a simple word or phrase. Our language becomes almost code expressing the secrets we share, full of mysteries which others would not understand or regard as relevant, as they do not know the history or beliefs which underpins the words. Every communication is important but some have depth of meaning which speak of the foundation upon which the relationship is built and therefore, are a mystery to an outsider.The first chapter of Luke’s gospel is full of greetings. Mary is granted the angel Gabriel’s “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” Zachariah is told “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.” Zachariah is told the mystery of his future son’s life in God and his responsibility towards the Messiah. Mary is told the secret of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, which no one else knows, as proof of the angel’s mission to confirm her own destiny. When she arrived at Elizabeth’s door only Elizabeth would have known why her young relative had come. Mary must have known what others did not.Elizabeth’s reaction was immediate and spontaneous, her own child leaped within her, in recognition of the presence of the Lord, whose coming he would foretell. The women shared their blessedness. A young virgin woman conceived by the Holy Spirit and an older woman past childbearing age who had been able to conceive. They were women who shared a mystery. Their sons would change the world, they were utterly united in faith, anxiety, anticipation, trust and hope. Their acknowledgement of the great things which were happening to them would have been in every touch and sign, every look and most of all in their awareness of their shared maternity, the children within them. Elizabeth exclaimed her joy at the way in which God shares his goodness with those who wait on him in trust and hope.Cultures which have developed out of religious beliefs often include blessings in their greetings and farewells. “God be with you” has been reduced to “goodbye” and we rarely consider its real meaning when we use it. Mary and Elizabeth recognised each other’s worth in their exchanges, they were life affirming for each other, each acknowledging the others holiness. Their greetings said much more than just “hello”.Perhaps we too could try to do the same with those we meet, especially at this time when we are not able to greet each other in a physical way. This is a good time for renewing true depth and real life-giving in our relationships. There may be people we have forgotten during this time who would be warmed by your greeting whether that is seeing each other on zoom or any other visual media, a phone call, email or letter. Maybe we could consider mending broken relationships, not necessarily by complicated explanations, but by a simple word, a recognition of their value. I thought that I would share with you different greetings in other cultures:Knowing how to greet someone when visiting another country can help you avoid an awkward encounter.Here is how you say hello in countries around the world.*Argentina: Kiss on the right cheekIn Argentina, men greet other men with a kiss, so do not be surprised or offended if this occurs. Lightly press your cheek against the right cheek of another for a light kiss.*Japan: A bowIn Japan, the preferred way to greet someone you’re meeting is to bow to one another.*Nigeria: Snapping fingers handshakeIn Nigeria, young people usually greet each other in a special way, where they snap their fingers in the process of a handshake. This handshake is not very easy, so you actually need a Nigerian to teach you how to snap fingers while shaking hands.*Russia: A firm handshakeIn Russia, a firm handshake is the standard way for men to greet one another in public.*New Zealand: Hongi (touching noses)Known as hongi, this traditional Māori greeting in New Zealand is done by pressing your nose and forehead to another person’s at the same time.*Greenland: KunikThis one is a greeting typically done with those you’re close with. To perform it, place your nose and upper lip against the cheek or forehead of the other person and take a breath.*Thailand: WaiPlace your palms together at your chest and bow your head so that your thumbs touch your chin and your fingertips touch your forehead.*France: Kiss on each cheekThe common greeting in France is kissing on the cheek. Typically, it will be two kisses but the number of kisses can vary depending on the region. As a common starting point, offer your right cheek and let the other person lead.*India: NamasteThis greeting is carried out by placing your hands together in a praying position with your fingers pointed upwards and bowing slightly when you say “Namaste.”*Ukraine: A triple kissDon’t pull back after a kiss on each cheek in Ukraine. Here, the custom is to kiss cheeks three times — left, right, left— to say hello.*Tibet: Sticking your tongue outThis tradition dates back to the 9th century and references the Tibetan king Lang Darma, who was known for his evil ways and had a black tongue. People still greet each other this way today.*The Philippines: ManoWhen greeting elders, take their hand and press their knuckles against your forehead as a sign of respect.There are many other ways of greeting around the world including funny and strange ones. Most especially in Africa where they have different tribes and cultures, like the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania who greet friends by spitting on one another. Spitting is still acceptable when greeting elders, but a younger tribesman traditionally spits on his own hand before offering it to older members of the tribe as a sign of respect.We might consider ways of exchanging greetings which catch some of Elizabeth’s and Mary’s exuberance and blessings to each other. There is a blessing and joy in the greetings and praise that we give and offer to our Father in heaven every day.
