A meditation on the Visitation of The Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. Mother of John the Baptist, with special reflection on the ‘Magnificat’. Today, 31st May, is kept by the Church as the festival of the Visitation. This meditation, in the words of St Elizabth, is by my dear friend Joyce Smith who is doubtless singing the Magnificat in heaven.
We were both blooming in the joy of our pregnancies. I was carrying the forerunner, and Mary carried the Anointed One.
We had so much to share, we were both so excited, and yet fearful at the same time. Yet, in all the ups and downs Mary couldn’t keep from singing.
She sang of the greatness of the Lord; that he had chosen her to bear his Son, who would change the world; FOREVER!
This would be no empty political promise, of levelling up and giving out meagre benefits.
Mary’s Son, God’s Son, really would reach out to everyone; seeking justice and fairness for all. He would give priority to the poorest and weakest; standing on the edge with the powerless and disenfranchised.
Mary, my cousin, sang her song, which will stand for all generations.
Who will sing it now? Who will listen? Who will act?
Herdwick Sheep in the Lake District enjoying the sun before more snow fell in the last few days. The blue skies will be back soon! Photos by my friend Gill.plus the photo below.
A Reflection from the Lake District by Gill Henwood.
When you witness the care a shepherd has for his or her flock, the 23rd Psalm comes to mind:
The Lord’s my shepherd and The King of Love my shepherd is.
The young farmer below our window is only 24, and has been building up his own flock for two years. He’s here by dawn and returns in the evenings at dusk to check his expectant ewes who wait in the long sheep shed that belongs to his retired grandfather. They baa when they hear his 4×4 coming up the track, knowing he will bring hay. He’s working his way to a farm tenancy of his own – there is no farmhouse on this small acreage of land.
Upland fell farmers are part of the countryside and community here, and this area was cherished by Beatrix Potter a century ago, who, with the National Trust, bought and saved farms for the nation. She too was a breeder of Herdwick sheep and a show judge. Her shepherds, and the shepherds of today, care for their flocks and seeing them brings to mind, Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Gill Henwood
Here is a version of Psalm 23 written by my friend,Joyce Smith in her Reflections for Lent in 2021.
Bible Reading: Psalm 23 “I will dwell in the house of the Lord,my whole life long.“
The Lord is my Shepherd; who guides, nourishes, and protects me.
My Shepherd, who looks for me when I lose my way. and carries me safely home.
My Shepherd, who longs for me, and for ‘sheep from many different flocks’, to dwell in his house, both now and for all eternity.
Jesus, my Shepherd, help me to fix my eyes on you and follow where you lead.
The foxes of Latton visit their Patron, St Francis. Photo by Lynn Hurry
World Wildlife day
World Wildlife day was held on March 3rd.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, wrote this:
On World Wildlife Day, we reflect on our responsibility to protect the magnificent diversity of life on our planet. And we recognize our abject failure. Human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes. One million species teeter on the brink of extinction, due to habitat destruction, fossil fuel pollution and the worsening climate crisis. We must end this war on nature.
The good news is that we have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which has helped protect thousands of plants and animals. And last year’s agreement on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework marked an important step towards putting our planet on a path to healing.
As this year’s theme – ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’ – highlights, we need to work across governments, civil society, and the private sector to turn commitment into action. And we need much bolder actions now to cut emissions, accelerate renewables, and build climate resilience. Throughout, we need to place the voices of local communities and indigenous people – our world’s most effective guardians of biodiversity – front and centre.
Today and every day, let us all do our part to preserve natural habitats and build a thriving future for all living beings.
António Guterres Secretary-General, United Nations
photo: Joyce Smith
As we know, there are huge issues affecting Planet Earth right now and much of what we face feels overwhelming. However many feel a sense of responsibility and a desire to work for a real change. Some of us recognise that we are stewards under God for the well-being of creation. For too long the understanding from the Book of Genesis that humankind have dominion over all the earth, has been interpreted has given us a God-given right to dominate all creatures on the earth and to exploit creation for our own ends. ‘Dominion’ means, rather, Stewardship and Responsibility. Ultimately it involves Accountability to God even if there are many who don’t accept that duty. Some of us may think that whilst we accept that responsibility, there is very little we can do. How can each of us make any difference?
I am always heartened by this little story:
A little sparrow laid on its back with its legs in the air. Another sparrow walked past and asked the sparrow on his back what it was doing. The little one replied that it had heard that the sky was going to fall in and thought that it should try and help hold it up. The other sparrow laughed and said, “You’re only a little sparrow with little legs. How can you hold up the whole sky? The sparrow laid on the floor with its legs in the air, said: “I know, but one does what one can.”
Whenever we feed the birds in our garden, nurture our plants, take care of our domestic pets, feed and water wild animals and little but significant things such as that, then we are ‘doing what we can’ and it makes a big difference.
Sqirrel helping herself to Vicarage not quite ripe strawberries! Photo: Lynn Hurry
Heavenly Father, You have taught us, through your servant St Francis, That all creation is your handiwork. Grant us your grace that we may Exercise wise stewardship of this Earth; Tread lightly upon it; And cherish its resources; That our children may enjoy its riches, throughout all generations, And your name be glorified through all that you have made. Amen.
It’s almost the feast of the Epiphany when we commemorate the visit of the Magi (Wise men) to the infant Jesus. Here’s a meditation on behalf of the camels, by my friend Joyce Smith, who died lasy year.
Like the donkey, we camels are often left out of the story; it gives us the hump!
The journey was long and exhausting, but when we glimpsed the walls of Jerusalem, we thought we had arrived. A king would surely be born in the palace, and we could rest in lovely comfortable stables!
But Herod was even grumpier than we were when our masters told him we were seeking a newborn king The priests and scribes searched their sacred books and found that Bethlehem was what had been foretold by the prophets.
And so we carried on, guided by the star; determined not to let Herod’s scheming thwart our purpose.
The road ahead might be hard, but we would keep carrying our masters until we found the newborn king.
Mr G's Ponderings 