My friend Anne died recently and as I prepare myself for her funeral I begin to think about the nature of our Friendship.
We were friends for almost 50 years. There are people who have been your friend for most of your life. These are the precious few who have shaped your life from within. Some seem to have been sent into your life to enliven, brighten and accept you without judgement. Sometimes, of course, they lovingly correct you! These are the friends with whom you share the deep gift of love in a harmony which somehow fulfils what it means to be truly human. There is a one-ness in which delight flourishes and also where honesty and truth play a part which is invaluable and open and kindly meant. This feels to me to be a gift of God who is, of course the ‘friend’ who reflects all friendship. It’s as if God shares His DNA in a very special way. Amongst such friends there is a deepness of spirit through which they share in your very being and indeed, it is their love and friendship which makes that ‘being’ wonderfully unique. They are not a ‘part’ of your life. They are an ingredient which makes your life complete and fulfilled. They are, in fact, God’s pure gift to you through whom He reveals you as you truly are.
In such a friendship the divine and human spark together and brings to birth the Godly specialness which makes you and your friend truly icons of the Incarnation. They share in that pilgrimage which leads you both closer to the nature of God, who out of sheer love was born in human form and likeness. Jesus, born in our midst, spoke profoundly of the nature of friendship as a sign of God’s care, love, and acceptance and of His desire that our lives become imitations of His. True friendship is when people can look into each other’s eyes and immediately see a reflection of God mirrored in the soul.
My dear friend, Anne, was and is such a person. I thank God for her love for me and for others who have been changed, loved and accepted by her, in God’s holy Name.
Mr. G. 30th August 2025
Jesus said, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15)
“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!
Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum addressing the Church of England General Synod in York on July 15th.
The address given by Archbishop Hosam about the situation in the Holy Land was so moving that the Archbishop received two standing ovations and was held deeply in prayer. This is the Report from the Anglican Commmunion News Service (ACNS) and other sources.
In his address Bishop Naoum said that hospitals continue to be bombed in Gaza, with medical supplies in short supply and a ‘horrifying’ system of food distribution, comparable to the dystopian series The Hunger Games, with three sites open one hour a day for two million people. Calling for a restoration of humanitarian supplies including food and medicine, under UN supervision, Archbishop Hosam said there should be no targeting of civilians, especially emergency workers and medical staff. He called for the release of all hostages and captives and a permanent ceasefire for the end of the war and rebuilding of Gaza – ‘not ethnic cleansing that is presently being discussed by the Israeli and US Government.”
As always,the church is committed to peace building and reconciliation – a message that he has repeated ‘time and time again’ – but these are ‘alien terms’ that people across both sides of the divide refuse to talk about or even listen to, he said. “I realise that as a church we live and embody the gospel and we are not politicians. However, we need to speak out in the face of injustices and be prophetic for the sake of our people and our calling as Christians.”
“I’m grateful for the (Church of England) House of Bishops’ statements that have been taking our story as Christians in the Middle East and especially in Jerusalem, very seriously.”
Archbishop Hosam spoke of his desire for peace in the region, for the humanitarian aid system to be reformed and for an end to acts which oppose the Geneva Conventions. He stated that, “Medical supplies are in short supply. The food distribution system is horrifying.
“Advocacy is urgently needed for Israel’s adherence to the Geneva Conventions, as its current practices are unacceptable.” He called for “no bombing of hospitals, lifting of the siege, restoration of humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, under UN supervision, no targeting of civilians, especially emergency workers and medical staff and the release of all hostages and captives.” In the face of this, Bishop Hosam said that “We are battered and bruised but not crushed.”. As a Church we must be committed to peace and reconciliation and be deeply committed to our Lord’s teaching of Peace and Love. We are called to a ministry of presence and resilience and of support, sustenance and healing. The Church is call to be a source of hope in an hopeless situation,but where a church is wounded and constrained, we need the wider body of Christ to help us to be the church in brutal and damaging times.”
The Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York in the Church of England, led a prayer for Archbishop Hosam at the conclusion of his address.
“Father, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We thank God for the faithfulness, friendship and ministry of our dear brother Hosam. We cry out to you for peace and justice in our world and especially in Israel, Palestine, in Gaza and in that whole region. We ask for the leading of your spirit, for the peace of your world. We ask this in Jesus’ name.”
In the words of Archbishop Hosam, with people around the world, we pray:
O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land. Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land. While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples. Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum is the 15th Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, a role he has held since 2021. He was born in Haifa and grew up in Shefa’amr in Galilee.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is home to about 7,000 Anglicans worshipping within twenty-eight different congregations. It is also responsible for more than thirty institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics and rehabilitation centres. The Diocese is scattered across five separate countries or territories: Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
St.Thomas shares his thoughts on the eve of his feast day. (July 3rd) See: John’s Gospel Ch20. v. 24-29
I was not there when the Lord in Risen Glory broke the locked door of the upper Room. Brilliantly alive and carrying joy. Resurrection Joy!
Full of a renewed sense of their call by God my friends loved telling me what I had missed. Had they made it up as a way of dealing with their grief? Mourning takes interesting forms sometimes. They were quite smug though so was it a but of one-upmanship?
Yet I wanted to believe them! It was too good to be true, so I was filled with uncertainty. That is when I doubted what they told me and that moment was to define me not just then but for all time. I gave my name to all doubters. Even those who did not share faith.
I don’t know what made me do it. I really wanted to believe what my friends told me. “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands… I will not believe!” My longing was so deep. But with those words, I had missed the chance. My heart was heavy, my soul seemingly cast adrift.
Eight days later we gathered again, to pray; to break bread; to find in each other’s company, a kind of solace.
Then, like a whirlwind of sheer light, HE came again. He looked at me, not with sadness, or anger or in a dismissive way. “Thomas”, he said, “my dear delightful Thomas. Always loyal, always a bit too eager, always sure. Come here.” He beckoned me to his side.
Gently, lovingly, he invited me to inspect his wounds. “Don’t doubt Thomas. Believe!”
My inner spirit burst with joy, my soul reached out to heaven. From the seed-bed of my praying I placed words around a thought I had long been praying silently in my heart. A praying which became so strong because I had wrestled with doubt.
It was a prayer that flowed from the deepest faith possible. “MY LORD AND MY GOD!”
There! I had prayed it! Aloud!
People may still use my doubting to justify their unbelief but I had reached beyond that into the very depth of my soul and I said that word which is all Jesus needs to lift us up into the beauteous light of eternal life. Here, Now and Always! Yes, Lord!
Jesus, our Risen Master, our Lord, Our God held me in his radiant smile and looked around at all of us gathered there. “I am indeed your Lord. I am indeed your God, but never forget to tell people what I tell you now, I love you. I am your most loving friend!
Mr G's Ponderings 