One of my special saints is St. John Vianney, known more often as the Curé D’Ars. He was a faithful parish priest in the village of Ars, France, for many years. He was almost not ordained because he couldn’t pass exams but his Bishop saw beyond that into his soul and he ordained him. For the rest of his life and ministry he devoted himself to helping people to move that one more step towards God. After his death he was acclaimed a saint and is regarded as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests. Every priest should aim to have a ministry like his. However, he wasn’t just concerned with the spiritual journey of individual Christians. He had a yearning for the journey of the Christian Church to be a holy one—one which embraced others and built up a community of faith based on praying together.He said: Private Prayer is like straw scattered here and there. If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames, but gather these straws into a bundle and light them and you get a mighty fire rising like a column in the sky..”
Here is a reflective poem by Piers Northam, inspired by the statue of the Curé d’Ars in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Falaise, Normandy. It is also inspired by his forthcoming ordination to the priesthood on September 27th.
“Mr G’s ponderings are the thoughts, day-dreams, perceptions and opinions of my owner, Geoffrey. (Though as all cat-lovers know, ownership of a cat is a disputable claim…) Mr G was, until retirement, involved in Christian ministry in the Anglican church which may colour his ponderings and lead others to switch off immediately, but he hopes that this blog will be wide-ranging; addressing the human condition and that of all creation. Hopefully it will give expression to joy, fun, humour, stimulation, sadness, uncertainty and struggle as well as being a place where friends will offer their contributions too – there is no monopoly on experiencing and reflecting on life’s journey which some of us think of as a pilgrimage.
These are big words and aspirations for a little cat, but you know, cats have hidden depths and perceptions… Pagli xx “
Pagli, wrote that Five years ago this month at the height of the Covid Pandemic. This blog began as a way of reaching out to people full of fear, anxiety and experiencing lockdown. For many it was a time of loneliness; for others, bereavement. There was a pausing in our everyday dealings with each other. We kept our distance and we prayed hard for those working in the NHS and care homes, as well as other key members of society who tried to make our lives easier. Many of these were unsung heroes like refuse collectors, funeral directors, neighbours who made sure elderly people were cared for and received shopping.
Much has changed in society and in the world since those days but we have new Pandemics to try and cope with ~ climate change, the health of our planet and all who live on it, including the animal kingdom, birds, fish and the care of Nature. A bigger Pandemic is the state of humanity. Wars and destruction of people, countries, and those who have no one to speak up for them. A lust for political power is leading to violence, hatred, uncaring and unloving behaviour, for example. There are homeless and poor people throughout the world. Add to that the great plight of those forced to leave homes and countries because of despotic regimes. Not since the Second World War has there been such a displacement of people. Humanity has always been nomadic but often through choice. That is not the case today for millions. People who lived normal lives with homes, jobs, security now wander from place to place with nothing but pain and fear. Worse, when they risk their lives travelling to seemingly safer places many are treated as scroungers, unwanted and very unloved. Indeed, they are hated, mistreated, and labelled with expletives which shame humanity and all of us, because when some are denied rights to live, to be, to be cared for ~ we are all guilty.
In St Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 25, verses 31 to 46, Jesus puts it as only God can! You don’t feed me, you give me no drink, you show me no care or kindness, you ill-treat people, you speak harshly, unthinkingly, and you demonstrate a failure of Spirit and, God says that because of this you will be judged. It was St. John of the Cross who said, at the end of life, we will be judged on how much we have loved.
Christians and all religious faiths live within the Universal Love of God. All believers in God, however that is manifested, have a duty (and a joy) to share all that is good in the world with each other and with all the creatures of Nature. We don’t own the planet nor anything on it. We are stewards, tenants and carers of all that God has given to us for what is but a short time for each of us. Mr. Ramsey said in Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse, when he mused on how we might be spoken of after our death, that he thought that our fame would not last so long. ‘if you look from a mountain top down the long wastes of the ages, the very stone one kicks with one’s boot will outlast Shakespeare.’
Yet the gift of Life, equal for all, when it is lived kindly, caringly, lovingly and prayerful, can make a huge difference to all life on earth ~ The only difference, under God’s loving care, that actually will.
Mr G, assisted by Pagli. Xx
We look forward to continue sharing our Ponderings via this Blog. Mr G has remained faithful to the intentions I set him though he has been helped in that respect by regular contributors. His friend dear Joyce Smith who sadly died, gave lots of incites through her photos and her quotes. Dear Gill Henwood continues to enhance our pages with marvellous photos and ponderings; My friend Piers Northam’s poetic skills and reflections are much valued. My lovely friend Lynn Hurry has given us wonderful photos of Nature and animals (not least the little foxes!) and also by feeding us with her spiritual and factual ponderings about God’s amazing Creation, My artist friend, Kay Gibbons has shared her profound artistic talent with us. Many others have helped to enrich this Blog. Thanks to all who have contributed. Thanks also to so many of you who have supported us with your interest, comments and just sharing this Blog as friends – from all over the world. If you wish to comment on anything, you can reach us by email on geoffrey_connor@ priest.com Thanks to WordPress for making the blog possible. Finally, a special thanks to all whom we follow. There are such wonderful Blogs out there and it’s a delight to share your ponderings. Pagli–Ji xx
As Dag Hammerskjold (former General Secretary of the United Nations once prayed: For all that has been, Thanks. For all that will be, Yes!
Rainbow after the rain. Storm Floris passes over the Lake District and leaves a rainbow behind.Photo by Gill Henwood.
My friend Gill Henwood has been reflecting on Midsummer life in the Lake District, Cumbria. She sent me her reflection in the form of a poem with a P.S. about Nature at work. When she sent it, we were all awaiting the August Summer Storm christened by the weather people as Floris. The North of England, the whole of Scotland and the Western Isles as far as Orkney are bearing the brunt of it, but already things are improving in Cumbria. Gill invites us to ponder on the beauty, stillness and calm, which can so often follow a storm. This is not just true of Nature but also in our own lives too. Sometimes we are buffeted about by what life throws at us but God is always near, ready to throw his rainbow cloak of love in a great arc over us. We do, however, like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, be still to hear and know God is there for you. Here’s Gill’s poem:
AFTER THE RAIN. Gill Henwood
The winds are soughing In the beech tree canopy. Sound ripples away As the waves on a beach.
Lichens reach into the air Dewdrops and sun A rich garden Growing on the stump.
Badgers have clawed Bark for grubs, Dragonflies shimmer Past, in the sun shafts.
Life is renewed The seasons turn again After rain, the sun. After storms, the calm.
And throughout, the still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-13
P.S. The dragonfly, emerald and gold, dazzled me. S/he flew on but, having stopped, I looked. Noticed. A miniature garden on the decaying tree stump. Was s/he a fleeting messenger? “Remember, it’s Lammas…”. The farmer was baling the hay last night at 10pm, headlights on the tractor, collecting the bales before overnight rain. First fruits, in the sheep-dwelt fells: the grass harvest for winter feed. And for all the local creatures of hedges, dry stone walls, woods and tarns: plentiful seeds, berries, nuts, leaves. A harvest festival is quietly underway.
[Lughnasad is the Celtic name for Lammas, time of the ‘first fruits’ of harvest. (Newgrange website) Lammas is the Christian Festival on August 1st when we give thanks for Harvest that is coming and offer to God the gifts of the Land.]
A refugee standing in front of the Bell Hotel in Epping. Photo courtesy of The Guardian. newspaper
‘Every human being deserves dignity’: asylum seeker in Essex hotel calls for understanding
We are all rightly concerned about the situation in Gaza at the moment, not least because of the famine amongst the Palestinian people. This is something which has brought many nations and peoples to cry out against what some are calling acts of genocide. Many voices are now speaking out about the plight of the Palestinians and action is in process. However, huge though this situation is, it is part of something far greater which is affecting not only those in the troubled areas of the world – Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and the whole of Europe and North Africa – but all of us. What is of the deepest concern is the state and plight of humanity as a whole. At present in the United Kingdom, we have a huge example of this.
For whatever reason, we in Britain have become a destination for many of the refugees who, over the past few years have been forced out of their homelands by despotic and cruel Governments or those factions in countries who seek power over others.
In Britain we hear much of those who desperately try to cross The English Channel (or Manche, if you are European)to what they perceive as freedom and safety. They have been forced out of places such as Syria, Yemen, North and mid-Africa, The Ukraine, and the far-east. None of them want to leave their homelands but they have no choice. Many are educated and skilled people; all are seeking welcome, generosity, kindness, understanding, hope and love. From most people in the United Kingdom they get a lot of that but there are also cruel, selfish and deeply hurtful people who are making some refugees’ lives a living hell. This is being experienced here in Essex right now, though most of those who are creating the most difficulty are not from Epping or even Essex.
The situation has rightly frightened and threatened the Refugees themselves and one of them, who has been named Nabil to protect him, has written a letter to The Guardian Newspaper. On Monday 28th July, Ben Quinn published this letter and urges us to share it widely. From the hotel where Nabil currently lives targeted by protesters, he urges people not to resort to harmful stereotypes. In the letter sent to the Guardian, Nabil said he had previously been attacked while out walking, and he called to be treated with “understanding and fairness” and for people not to resort to harmful stereotypes. Nabil’s name has been changed. Here is the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the author using Google Translate, in full:
Warm greetings,
I am writing to you from a deeply human perspective, hoping to share a point of view that is often overlooked in public discourse and media coverage about refugees. We, as refugees, are frequently labeled with harmful stereotypes – that we came only for benefits, that we live off taxpayers, or that we are uneducated or disrespectful. These assumptions hurt us, hinder our integration, and most importantly, do not reflect the truth. I want to be honest: yes, there are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us. As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.
I did not come here seeking wealth or running from poverty. In fact, I had a stable life back in my country, Yemen. I had a job, a house, a car, and everything I needed to live with dignity. What forced me to leave was not economic hardship, but persecution and fear for my safety and the safety of my family. We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute. We will pay taxes like anyone else, not to “drain the system”, but because we believe that mutual respect and responsibility are the foundation of any strong and united society.
This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness. I believe the media plays a vital role in breaking down stereotypes and presenting the truth. I hope you can be a voice for fairness and show the world that every refugee has a story – and every human being deserves dignity.
With sincere appreciation, Nabil From Yemen
[Published by Ben Quinn, Journalist, The Guardian Newspaper with comment by Mr G]
Mr G's Ponderings 