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.
The time between September 1st and October 4th (The feast of St. Francis) is used by many Christians, other believers and organizations concerned about our Planet, as a time of meditation on Creation, our part in caring for it, and the dedication our lives anew to God who we celebrate as Creator and Sustainer of life
The photo of the Hay bales seems to express something of the beauty of the earth and gives me joy. The bales were typical of the countryside of Normandy where I recently spent some time. Gathering in the hay and bind it in round bales was going on in many fields and farms. I was pleased to see that the bales were tied naturally and not, as is so often in England, bound in unsightly black plastic.
Rural Communities rarely have an easy time of it, so I am not moaning. As well as farming and managing woodland, farmers often bear the brunt of the general failure to care for our planet. We dump on the rural communities a responsibility for caring about ecology and promoting climate change as well as nurturing the land to provide food and having consideration for their animals. Meanwhile, many enjoy the delights of the countryside, free of charge, even insisting that maintenance and trouble free access is our right and we expect the farming community to maintain it so that we might not feel responsible. A generalization, I know, but it contains truth. Many of us know that blaming others for things that go wrong or which don’t achieve our aims is an excellent way of ducking out of our own responsibility! Yet we don’t fool anybody, not even ourself.
Equally importantly is our concern for those in our world who are without food or water. We have a duty of care for the people who live in poverty and destitution either through crop failure; the inhumanity of war; or in our own country where people are reliant on Food Banks or through meals provided for children who otherwise go hungry.
There are big issues around our stewardship of God’s creation and climate change but if we do just little and responsible things like random but heartfelt acts of kindness to others, especially the poor and needy, then the world becomes a better place. I am constantly being drawn back to something Saint Ambrose said: “It is not from your own possessions that you are bestowing alms on the poor, you are but restoring to them what is theirs by right. For what was given to everyone for the use of all, you have taken for your exclusive use. The earth belongs not to the rich, but to everyone. Thus, far from giving lavishly, you are but paying part of your debt.”
Here is a prayer we might consider saying, though it is uncomfortable!
Call us out of our sleep; Awaken our hearts and minds to the reality of so many lives. Awaken us to our connectedness as a global community. Awaken us to a future free from poverty and climate change.
Father, call us out of our sleep. Call us out of our sleep; Awaken us to the suffering of others. Awaken our hearts and minds to our choices and their impacts. Awaken us to be renewed with creation. Awaken us to the joy of enabling others to live life to the full.
Christ, call us out of our sleep. Call us out of our sleep; Awaken our hearts and minds to your hope. Awaken us to be renewed with creation. Awaken us to the joy of enabling others to live life to the full. Holy Spirit, call us out of our sleep.
A Prayer based on Psalm 102:5 (offered as a resource from the Churches)
Mr G's Ponderings 