Dear Friends,
On October 8th, next Tuesday, we celebrate the 382nd anniversary of our Community’s Foundation in Liège. It is a day of great thanksgiving for us & one of remembering our forebears both in the Low Countries &, in the last 230 years, in England. Mindful of that we are giving you rather random attachments that, we hope, say something about our spirit. Please pray in thanksgiving with us.
Marking this day we have an event in the evening on Tuesday at New Hall starting with refreshments at 6.30. We have a well-known Catholic theologian, Tina Beattie, – you may recognize the name from her regular input on ‘Thought for the Day’ on Radio 4. Tina will be speaking about Gender issues, a very alive topic today. In a different context in the 17th & 18th centuries it was also ‘alive’ in our community in that the rather revolutionary mission of the community was to provide a good education for young women – as good as was available at the time for young men. If you are interested in attending, look for details on our website – all are welcome but you do need to book a place: https://canonesses.co.uk/event/we-need-to-talk-about-gender/
Our blessing this week is ‘Let the Peace of the Father’ from the Sacred Weave CD.
With love to you all
Cultivate Thankfulness
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of our Teacher, Jesus, thanking God every step of the way.
A paraphrase of Colossians 3: 15-17
God sends us out into the world – not to build walls but to dismantle barriers. Not to load on chains but to liberate the oppressed. Not to close our doors but to welcome the stranger. Not to further fragment the body of Christ but to re-imagine it. God sends us out into the world to live as a sign of the justice & peace of his kingdom.
Pat Bennett
O God bring us to silence that we may hear your voice in those calling from the edge. Move us to stand with them in speechless solidarity; write your love on our bodies that our living, not our lips, may sing your freedom song.
Julie Greenham
All those faces, God the Lord!
Familiar ones in the house,
strange ones in the street,
each one made in your likeness,
yet none the mirror of another;
family resemblances, yes, even look-alikes,
but over millions of years no duplicates.
What a craftsman you are
creating different identities in such short space!
It is as if you were telling us
that each one of us is special
and loved as if there were no-one else. Alleluia! Amen.
Making Room to Welcome Friends
If it is true that solitude diverts us from our fear and anger and makes us empty for a relationship with God, then it is also true that our emptiness provides a very large and sacred space where we can welcome all the people of the world. There is a powerful connection between our emptiness and our ability to welcome. When we give up what sets us apart from others— not just property but also opinions, prejudices, judgments, and mental preoccupations—then we have room within to welcome friends as well as enemies.
What would rejuvenate my spirit? I pray for these gifts ………….
Love
to be the north star in my soul,
leading me always in the direction of divine light.
Stillness
to sweep through my restless mind,
instilling calmness and a serenity that dispels apprehension.
Nonviolence
to enter every thought, word, deed and desire,
flowing gently from me like a brook caressing inflexible stones.
Savouring
to remember with thankfulness
lovely moments of beauty and the joy of people’s good will.
Other-Centredness
to dissolve the closely held part of myself
that prefers to ignore or refuses to respond to the plight of others.
Laughter
to retain the sprightly dance of joy
amid endless duties, preparations, chores & responsibilities.
Perspective
to expand an inner vision that sees
each difficult person or situation through the wide lens of kindness.
Solace
to recognize, welcome and embrace
whoever and whatever seeks shelter in the sanctuary of self.
Hope
to rekindle my affection and gratitude
for the source of love who intermingles with each part of my life.
Joyce Rupp