This week the editing of the Psalm for its use in the Sunday Liturgy of the Word retains its praise of God, but rather excludes the particular relationship of the psalmist to the Lord.
One reason for regretting that, is that the psalmist rather stands in for us. Lacking the personal and particular we are left with general praise, and a hymning of the Lord’s generosity (key to psalm’s resonating with the preceding reading from Isaiah and coming to new fulfilment in the gospel of the feeding of the 5000 which follows.)
There is though much more to the psalm.
What stands out for you?
What word or phrase might you take from it today to carry in to your day.
Psalm 144(145):8-9,15-18
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary…
There is some – on the face of it – strange wording in the reading from Isisah that is the first reading at Sunday’s Mass.
Come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why come buy?
Why not just ‘Come, take – here you are – have what you want’?
The passage goes on to speak of spending our money, exerting our labour.
And it seems clear that despite the generosity of the Lord, what we are invited to is not a free for all.
Think of the annual news pictures of crowds tussling over bargains on Black Friday or Christmas Sales. The Lord does invite us to something so chaotic and appealing to our selfishness and greed.
If we are to eat of this food, drink of this drink, we need to listen diligently and then, only, then eat what is…
The love others feel for us, and the love we feel for others can wax and wane. Our emotions often depend on our circumstances, and others’ behaviour. God, however loves constantly and faithfully, simply, solely, wanting our good, good for everyone.
In the Collect this Sunday we can seem to claim special privilege by virtue of our being servants, and because (on a good day?!) we glory in the who and what of God. And yet God is Creator and guide, saviour for all.
This truth is something which is entrusted to us so that we might share it with others.
There is a difference between those who respond to the Lord, including those who share in the Lord’s life through faith and participation in the Sacraments, and those who do not. But this is a difference in us and not in the Lord.
Talking with various people over the past few week so many of us have said how tired and drained we are.
It is hardly surprising. Spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and – for some of us – physically, we have had a great deal to contend with over the past weeks and months. And there is still no certainty about what the future might ask of us by way of response to the Pandemic.
In our spiritual tradition there are basically three ways of responding to crisis.
One way of responding which rarely does us any good at all – outside of times of immediate crisis. And that is chin down, best foot forward, keep it to yourself and carry on like nothing has happened. That can help in the immediate moment of a crisis: things do need doing, and someone has to do them. But that moment passes, and then we need to acknowledge the cost of the crisis, and of ‘just carrying on’. If we don’t then we carry the burden, sometimes we even carry the burden to sort of punish ourselves for feelings of weakness and need. (Remember that scene in ‘The Mission’ where the Robert de Niro character labours under a huge weight, unable to deal with his past?)
This way of coping has a place, but we need other ways to deal with what we have to cope with …
There are two additional ways that are especially helpful
The first additional way – the second way of the three – is to be kind to ourselves. It involves rest and recuperation – and it is about healing and processing our pain and loss and struggle, and the worries that linger for ourselves and for others.
The graphic below usefully suggests some ways in which we might be kind to ourselves. It also usefully distinguishes between the different dimensions of our selves that will benefit from some attention – just focusing on one is not likely to be enough!
The ‘just keep going’ side of ourselves might object to this sort of ‘pampering’, but the time of recovery is not for ourselves only – it also makes us more fit to be of help to others. SOmetimes ‘retreating’ is the best way of helping us to advance.
The second helpful way to cope – the third way of the three – is a way that has received less attention in our Christian tradition. And it is lamenting. It is about giving full throated voice to our sufferings and struggles. No matter if others are suffering more – this is personal and it is between us and God.
Often we moan – to ourselves and to others – but lamenting is moaning with purpose. God is supposed to be on our side, and we want to let him know in no uncertain terms what is going on for us.
This is a way of prayer familiar in our tradition, especially from the Psalms. – perhaps more notably Psalm 22 (21) the psalm John tells us that Jesus prayed on the Cross, and that begins
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
‘Self-indulgence’, the ‘just get on with things’ side of us might say. At least we might say it to ourselves: I hope we would not have said it to Jesus!
But whatever else lament might be, it is not self-indulgence. It is prayer, it initiates a time of our being present to God, and our readiness – despite everything – to allow God to be present to us. And it allows us to explore communion with God, and allows us – with God’s help, which always helps – to get some different perspectives on our situation: to remember God and to be re-membered by God, put back together by God.
In the psalms the lamentation is almost always concluded with thanksgiving – the prayer has moved the psalmist on. Again, Psalm 22 is a fine example of this.
So three ways of ‘coping’
Ignore everything and (try to) just carry on
Take time and try to enjoy some recovery time
Have a good moan with God, trusting we will feel better after it.
As lament is something many of us are less familiar with, you might be interested in joining in a Zoom sort of Book Club meeting to discuss a helpful little book by a popular and accessible Old Testament Scholar, Walter Brueggemann: Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical reflections for a time of loss, grief and uncertainty.
Hot off the presses it is available from Amazon and St Paul’s Bookshop and other outlets. And should lead us into discussion and reflection that could be very good for ourselves, and help us to be good for others!
Pencil in 7pm on Tuesday 25th August for the Zoom meeting.
Joining details will be posted nearer the time.
Acknowledgements
‘Tips’ page prepared by Major Maureen Doncaster, Salvation Army, and used with permission.
‘Sorrow’ Vincent van Gogh. Walsall New Gallery. Photograph (c) 2017, Allen Morris
A number of people have asked when the parish meeting rooms might be opened again.
Helpful guidance has been provided from the Diocese as to how to open such rooms safely.
At present the McEvilly Room and kitchen are reserved for the use of teh cleaning teams working in the church after Mass.
The Benedict Room is available for parish use. However the present requirements for the safe use of the room are rather prescriptive, especially in a room as small as the Benedict Room.
When people are NOT wearing face coverings (as they would not be during coffee mornings), social distancing of 2 metres has to be observed in the room. The size of the room means only c 6 people could use the room at any one time, and they would have to be 2 metres away from each other, which rather defeats the object. So such meetings are out for the time being.
Meetings where people ARE wearing face coverings AT ALL TIMES can take place under the 1 metre rule. The size of the room means it is suitable for use by groups of up to 10 or 12 people.
However refreshments cannot be served during the meeting, and groups would need to follow parish rules about siting of tables/chairs. They would also be responsible for cleaning the room.
So at present the restrictions are rather onerous, but they do allow for use of the Benedict Room if the conditions can be met.
If any parish group does wish to use the Benedict Room under these conditions they should contact Fr Allen to discuss things further, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
To join in it is best to have a smart phone, or a tablet or a PC.
Once you are set up it really is just a matter of pressing a button. But if you would like help setting up please ring Fr Allen and help can be provided.
You can also simply phone in from any phone — again more details available from Fr Allen.
Stone carving. St Trophime, Arles. (c) 2014, Allen Morris
Continuing the series of parables of Jesus proclaimed as the Sunday Gospel, and following on from two weeks of parables about planting and harvesting, this week -as the Gospel reading we hear a series of shorter parables.
Scholars suggest that one of the ways in which the teaching of Jesus was circulated following his death and resurrection was in a collection of sayings. This hypothetical text is known ‘Q’ – an abbreviation of the German Quelle meaning ‘source’ – and included sayings, parables, and controversies, gathered into a series of discourses, such as we find in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. What it did not include were stories of Jesus life – of his birth, even of his death and resurrection.
No surviving example of Q has been found. It remains a scholarly hypothesis – but the (non-Canonical) ‘Gospel’ of Thomas discovered in 1945 at Nag Haamadi in Egypt shows…
Our parish gatherings for lectio divina continue this Sunday afternoon.
Some may well ask, ‘what is lectio divina?’ It is simply a quiet prayerful engagement with the Lord through holy scripture.
We begin by listening -to the reading read to us, and then listening to it in the quiet of our hearts.
We then – if moved to do so – share a word or sentence that has particularly struck us – but not discussing it, just noting it.
We then listen to the scripture a second time, once more read aloud and then, again, pondered in the quiet of our hearts.
The final stage is for those taking part – if they wish – sharing something more about what they have heard the Lord say to them in the scriptures.
The reading we will use is taken from the Liturgy of the Word for this Sunday.
The sessions will begin at 4pm, and after 15 minutes for sharing virtual coffee and cake and chat, we will begin the lectio at 4.15, and continue until 5pm.
To join you will need the Zoom App on a smart phone /Tablet / or PC, and then simply click on the link below.