31st May. Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Coptic style icon.
My soul magnifies the Lord.
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’.(Luke 1: 39-56) This meditation was part of last year’s offering for Advent & Christmas by our friend, Joyce Smith.
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?
Readers of this blog will be familiar with the photographs and tweets from my friend Joyce Smith and the thoughts they inspired.
I am saddened to hear, today, of Joyce’s sudden death yesterday. It is a deep shock. Joyce and I have been friends for 20 years and worked together in ministry for a lot of that time.
As well as a personal friend she was someone who held a lot of people in love and prayer and gave support to so many. People mattered to her and her heart was open for those who needed a friend. She touched people who others might have missed. This was especially true in the places where she ministered as a priest in the Church of England. There will be a lot of grieving hearts in Ninefields, Waltham Abbey and the Diocese of Chelmsford.
For me she was an icon of what Christian vocation is about. God was at the centre of her life and she reflected God’s love to others; she was selfless in her Christian service; she represented the Gospel and she did her utmost to lead people ‘safely to heaven’. There was nothing about her that was self-serving but there was a great deal about sacrifice. Sometimes she felt the need to guide people with a certain toughness and forthright speech but kindness and gentleness were always flowing underneath.
She encouraged so many of us. For me, she was a true friend.
Her love of creation was evident in the photos she took of birds and nature and the short reflections she chose. During the first lock-down she posted extracts from the Psalms with thoughtful photos. Afterwards she began her ‘photo-tweets’ which became regular items on this blog. Many of us enjoyed these. Her love of puffins became so obvious and she would often go to Northumbria and other places where puffins would greet her. We benefited from this.
Some also benefited from her booklets of reflections for the Advent & Christmas Season and for Lent & Easter. This Holy Week, she wrote a story based on the donkey of Palm Sunday which she dedicated to the children of Ninefields School, who all received a copy. I was hoping for more to come! She had such a beautiful way of expressing the sometimes inexpressible.
Earlier this afternoon, my friend Lynn Hurry (who befriends the fox cubs, and takes the photos many of us enjoy!) wrote to me:
“Dear Joyce, Such a lovely soul. She noticed and rejoiced and glowed at so much beauty in this life… and boy will she be shocked and amazed at all she will see in heaven … she will be dying to share it all with Geoffrey for his blogs!”
The photo of the Puffin was taken a few weeks ago, but for some reason I held back from posting it. Its feet are firmly on rock but its face is turned in contemplation of something beyond and in the distance. The quotation is from the poet, Rumi, love of whose poems Joyce and I shared. Reading it I know now why I held the photo back. Joyce lived a life that was balanced between earth and heaven and saw both as a reflection of God. Now she has let go of one to fully embrace the other.
My friend Joyce has recently visited ‘her’ puffins on the East coast. Here’s a glimpse of what she saw.
We meet in his name and share his peace.
Joyce has captured a moment of ecumenical unity in the bird world. The puffins are gathered with the razorbills, sharing a common rock. It could almost mirror a religious gathering. At least two of the puffins are engaged in leading the hymns, or perhaps even an Anthem. One of the birds may have tried to avoid the sermon by burying its head in the rock.
However you view it, there is a sense of harmony, a coming together in fellowship.
The longing for peace is at the heart of all religions. Sharing peace together is one of the joys of worship. It is more than a nod of greeting. In the Jewish faith, Shalom expresses something far deeper. It is “a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well-being, and harmony.” These are all the things we hope for each other and which we are to strive for.
In order for our ‘peace’ to be real and authentic it must begin in our hearts and it must come from God through us and others. So respect for each other is essential if our care and love is to grow. In the eyes and heart of God we are all equal. Followers of Jesus Christ are encouraged to follow a rule of St. Benedict which bids us to see Jesus in all we meet. We are all made in God’s image and likeness.
In the Muslim faith this is understood by the greeting Muslims use on meeting. As-salamu alaikum. This greeting recognizes the worth of the other because they are important. The greeting receives the response Wa alaikum assalaam, and upon you be peace. One of the values of this is that it helps bind Muslims together as one family and also establish strong relationships with each other.
The Christian Greeting Joyce has chosen for her little ones on the rock is a central moment in the Eucharist, often called Holy Communion. That itself tells us that, together, we are gathered with our Lord Jesus Christ and because we are in communion (fellowship, with Him we are drawn to each other. We express this in The Peace.This greeting often includes the words Joyce has chosen : We meet in his name and share his peace. Again, this roots our relationships with each other in the Peace Jesus gives to us. We may wave and smile but it goes much deeper. A word for our fellowship is Koinonia and it has a meaning that we are all drawn into a fellowship not only with each other but, and most importantly, with God. The Spirit of God fills our hearts and in so doing calls us into a ‘holy’ fellowship. Holiness, God’s gift to us, enfolds us into the very being and love of God. When we are ‘holy’ we belong to God and to each other and we are filled with God. We meet together in His name and share His peace and His love. We are to shine with it.
So why is it, then, that Mr Putin, a supposed Christian, and those who are led astray by him cannot practice this?
There may be a clue in these thoughts by Lao-Tze, a Chinese philosopher of the 6th Century BC. It applies to Putin and to all who are destroying Ukraine; and to the Taliban who are destroying the women of Afghanistan; and the leaders of Israel & Palestine who destroy each other. And it applies to us because war and violence begin much nearer home.
It’s a long time since 6th century BC but we can pray these words and apply them to our world today, starting with ourself.
If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbours. If there is to be peace between neighbours, There must be peace in the home. If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.
The latest photo-Tweet from my friend Joyce lives up to its caption.
The quotation from Maya Angelou speaks of how we remember people for the way they make us feel.We all have people we turn to when we need a shoulder to cry on, an ear that will listen or someone who can hug us. Hopefully, we are such a person for others. In this case, the lovely little Robin makes me feel happy. This little creature is uplifting and in giving pleasure expects nothing in return.
It reminded me of story by Sheila Cassidy in her book Good Friday People.
Sheila writes on aspects of Christian spirituality and is also a doctor. She was involved in the hospice movement. In the 1970’s she was practicing medicine in Chile at a time of political unrest. Because she treated a leading figure of the opposition, she was arrested and tortured. As a result of her imprisonment she was keenly associated with Human rights and prevention of abuse.
The story which came to mind on receiving Joyce’s tweet is from when she was being a doctor in more calmer times. In her book Good Friday People she wrote of a seemingly insignificant incident but it had huge implications. One day she was working on a boring job and a friend popped in to see her. This is how she described it.
He loitered around for nearly an hour, perched on the edge of the table, smoking a cigarette and talking occasionally of nothing in particular. After he left, she found herself filled with a special joy because her friend had deliberately wasted an hour with her. She wrote that “we were not discussing something of importance or that I needed consoling; it was a pure and unsolicited gift of time.
She reflected that if we think about it, for busy people, time is often the most precious gift they have to give. Doctors, priests, those who counsel will always ‘spend’ time with those in need. They may sit up all night with someone who is distressed; they may pass long hours in listening to problems or giving advice; but it is all time deliberately spent.
People who spend or waste time in this sort of way are those who understand the difference between what is urgent and what is important, or, to put it another way, they understand something that is key to our relationships– that real busyness is about being busy for others rather than being so busy that we shut them out. Having time for others is, as Sheila Cassidy noted, among the most precious things we can give to them. It is particularly important in this day of instant communication and of a real sense of loneliness in a lot of people to make people feel they matter. I don’t know about you but when I’m talking with someone and their mobile phone rings and they immediately answer it, I feel my importance to them has been somehow diminished.
Our little Robin above reminded me that I need to be attentive to others in a very special way which shows them they matter – a lot! We could even turn our phone off whilst spending time with them. Now there’s a notion!!
Mr G's Ponderings 