9 May: The Ascension of Jesus

Ascension and Pentecost

The Ascension and Pentecost are connected in this stained glass window. The two feasts are close together in the calendar, but the connection goes deeper than that. They represent the beginning of a new chapter in the Salvation Story, the chapter we twenty-first century Christians are mentioned in.

Saint Luke is our witness here. The end of his Gospel and the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles show how the disciples went from running scared to finding solidarity in shared fear and confusion, and finally on to boldness in proclaiming the Good News. What inspired this boldness? And where do we come in?

Saint Paul tells us: The things that are of God no man knoweth, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; that we may know the things that are given us from God. Which things also we speak, not in the learned words of human wisdom; but in the doctrine of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined. But the spiritual man judgeth all things; and he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that we may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:11-16

Even as he goes up to Heaven, Jesus bears the scars of this foolishness: the marks of the nails in his hands and feet. That foolish gesture of dying for us is recorded by the artist as an element of his glory. Hands raised as they were on the Cross, his seamless garment embroidered with his monogramme in case there was any doubt who this window is about. Yes, it is about Jesus, but it’s about us too, represented by the disciples gathered around him.

The disciples are present in the second window, linking the two chapters in our salvation story. Notice the descending dove of the Spirit, mirroring the outstretched arms of the risen Lord. He had to go away for the Spirit to come and take over but we remain in the care of the one God.

In this time between two feasts, between two Ages, let us pray that we may have the courage and strength to live with holy fire in our hearts, and to seek Jesus, not in Heaven but wherever in this world we may have been placed.

1 February: Praying with Pope Francis, For the Terminally ill.

Pope Francis has suggested as a focus for our prayer this month the terminally ill. Death will come for you and for me, no escape! I just learnt of the death of an old friend, who ‘knew her time had come’; she had good care and accompaniment from family and loved ones. A famous example of this was the Venerable Bede, the great scholar and Doctor of the Church. He had just finished dictating his translation of Saint John’s Gospel into English, when he gave away his few possessions to his confreres and asked to be raised up to see the shrine in his cell. His last words were the prayer, ‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit’; the moment is caught here by the early 20th Century artist John Doyle Penrose.

Let us pray for the terminally ill
We pray that those with a terminal illness, 
and their families, 
receive the necessary physical and spiritual care 
and accompaniment.

Let us pray, too, for all who care for the terminally ill, that they might be supported by colleagues, superiors and family.

Pope Francis has entrusted these intentions in a particular way to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, an organization that works to encourage Christians to respond to the Pope’s appeal and to deepen their daily prayer. You can find more information about the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network on their website.

POPE’S WORLDWIDE PRAYER NETWORK

February

28 December: the Slaughter of the Innocents.

The Flight into Egypt, stained glass by Patrick Reyntiens, Southwell Minster.

Janet and I were in Southwell earlier in the month and saw this window, one of a series featuring angelic interventions in Scripture. It was an angel who sent Joseph to safety with the Child and his mother, avoiding the slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:13).The artist shows the angel accompanying the Holy Family on their way. It is all too easy to draw contemporary parallels.

Let us pray for all the innocents of today, caught up in fighting, huddled in fear on the Egyptian frontier that was not a frontier then. And let’s pray for the warmongers in the Holy Land and elsewhere, that they may take the road of peace.

Give Peace in our time O Lord!
May your holy Angels dwell with us 
and preserve us in peace.

15 December, follow that star XIII, where is the star leading us?

I’m rather fond of this rather faded and battered old star which is one of many stencilled onto the wall of the little cemetery chapel of the Jesuits in Hales Place, Canterbury. It makes me ask, ‘Where is the star leading this rather faded and battered Will Turnstone in his old age?’

In the Jesuit chapel, there is this statue of the Madonna and Child. You will notice the hole in the chest of Jesus; there is another in Mary’s too. There were jewels there when the chapel was active, drawing attention to the hearts of Jesus and Mary, as emphasised by the Latin monograms behind the statue.

But the point of this post is not the lost jewels, but the symbolism of those stars, leading us to look at Mary, or rather to look at the child Jesus whom she supports and shows to us. She is calm, happy to be in the background witnessing to Jesus. I am reminded of the window in nearby Blean church that we saw a few days ago: quoting Luke 2:34; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.

smart

In our previous post we reflected on the sorrows of Mary, saying that there must have been more than the traditional seven counted in Catholic devotion. There are a good deal more than seven that Will Turnstone could count up, and I’m sure that is true for most readers, not just the senior citizens this reflection was originally aimed at. The sword has pierced our hearts for sure.

But we stick with it, stick with that star, which sometimes is splendid and inviting, sometimes apparently dim or behind the storm clouds. Where the star is leading us is to Jesus, to his Kingdom. Advent and Christmastide enable us to begin again to reflect on the story of the human who was and is Son of the Father.

Lead kindly Light!

18 October: Art & the Weather

Shared from Bishop Erik Varden’s ‘Coram Fratribus’ 19 September 2023

I smiled when, on the escalator into the Arrivals lounge at Oslo’s airport, I saw this display. It was nice to be told that a pleasant evening was waiting outside; also to see that the supposedly congenitally dour existentialism of Norwegians is able to wink at itself. Munch’s Scream is one of the world’s best-known paintings, an emblem of fright. Yet how lovely the setting is.

It was the beauty of an evening rich in contrasts that pierced Munch in Nice in 1892, causing him to record the experience both with colours and with words: ‘I walked along the road with two friends, then the sky all at once turned into blood, and I sensed a great scream sounding through nature.’ There is palpable terror; perhaps also hopeful anticipation. What Munch sensed could have been birth as well as death. In any case, his record enables us, 131 years down the line, to recognise within one man’s moment of crisis the loveliness of a Mediterranean sunset. And thereby to gain a perspective on our own inward moments of extreme agitation.

I did not know that ‘The Scream’ originated in Nice, with its 300 days of sunshine every year. but I do recall, from my months with the Emmaus Companions there, how many elderly people seemed to be living bravely their solitary lives. One old lady, all in black, was sitting on the same park bench, looking straight out to sea, whenever I walked past. The poem I started to write at the time stalled in the first stanza but the image is etched on my mind.

26 September: GAIA by Luke Jerram at Lichfield Cathedral

GAIA by Luke Jerram

A touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram

22 September – 5 November | Open during visitor opening hours.

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Contemplate our fragile blue planet from a different perspective, usually reserved for astronauts.

Measuring seven metres in diameter and suspended inside the nave of Lichfield Cathedral, Gaia features high-resolution NASA imagery of Earth’s surface*; an opportunity to see our planet floating and rotating in three dimensions.

Gaia creates a sense of the ‘Overview Effect,’ which was first described by author Frank White in 1987. Common features of this experience for astronauts are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.

Evening events

Friday – Sunday from 22 September –  29 October 19:00-21:00 (excl. 8/13/14/22 October)
Monday 30 October – Sunday 5 November 19:00-21:00 (excl. 2 November)

Come along for one of the special evening events to see GAIA and the Journey Through Creation installations when the Cathedral would usually be closed.

Internally lit, Gaia comes into its own during the evening, with a more profound sense of what it might be like to see Earth from space and accompanied by a surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones.

 The Cathedral Gift Shop will be open for a whole range of wonderful gifts, decorations, and cards and the team from Bistro No.19 will be serving refreshments and snacks. 

Adults £5.00 (Aged 16+)
Children £3.00 (Under 16s)
under 3s go FREE – please book a free ticket

Please read the FAQs and Terms and Conditions before booking.

Click here to book

3 August: Your Lichfield Cathedral this summer.

Find out about the activities on offer at Lichfield cathedral this summer.

From Lichfield Cathedral <communications@lichfield-cathedral.org>

We loved welcoming you, your friends and families to The Beach in 2022, and we’re excited to welcome you back this year! There will be sand, decking, deck chairs, children’s activities, refreshments and more for you and the whole family to enjoy. Throughout summer, we’ll be crafting, learning and creating some fun elements that will be part of a large Autumn installation Journey Through Creation. Pop inside to explore The Garden, an area to relax on your own or with your friends and family and find a moment of peace. Perfect for families with younger children, why not add the water element to your beach experience with dedicated times for water play outside the Cathedral.‘Wellspring’ by Carolynn White is a new art installation, featuring the contributions of children from our summer children’s activities. With thanks to:The Friends of Lichfield Cathedral, The Kirby Laing Foundation, Hymns Ancient and Modern Charitable Trust Copyright (C) 2023 Lichfield Cathedral. All rights reserved. These are users that have signed up to receive email updates Our mailing address is: Lichfield Cathedral Chapter Office 19a The Close Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 7LD United Kingdom

3 July: I had no idea.

Atkinson Grimshaw, Boargate.

Keith Waterhouse grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire between the two World Wars. He was brought up by his mother after his father’s death, which was due in part to his Great War service. I was struck by this paragraph describing Keith’s eight year old self. Leeds had plenty of prestigious XIX and early XX Century buildings, including along the shopping streets, like Boargate shown here, as well as civic statements like the town hall.

Architecture was a word I had yet to encounter, and so I had no idea that I had an interest in the subject. What I did know was that buildings, their shape and proportions and fabric and style of adornment or lack of it, fascinated me. Although I suppose my love of the cobbled terraces and the dark satanic mills fascinated me, I had great enthusiasm for the modern.

Keith Waterhouse, City Lights, a Street Life, London, Hodder and Stoughton, pbk 1995, p55.

I can imagine the eight year old Keith wandering through Kirkgate Market and taking it all in, as far as an eight year old could, measuring up the City Hall with one of his long stares, but not having the words to describe what he was seeing. I love to see my grandsons taking pleasure in new words and what they stand for.

Abel is nearly eight. I think his mother would be frantic to think he was wandering the city streets alone. His mind and heart are his own, but need feeding, nourishing by his elders in the family, at school, in cub scouts. Keith Waterhouse had no internet to explore, possibly a far more dangerous habitat than Leeds city centre. Abel too has great enthusiasm for the modern!

Let’s pray that parents, teachers, leaders of young people, catechists, may exercise Wisdom, Understanding and all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and help our young people to find creative ways to express their fascinations and enthusiasms.

2 July: The extraordinary world of our neighbours, the birds; a Review.

Birds

This book by Miranda Krestovnikoff, illustrated by Angela Harding, is published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, but anyone of any age will enjoy it, learn from it and lose themselves in the illustrations which are the XXI century’s answer to Charles Tunnicliffe or Thomas Bewick, seeing the birds from a different angle.

That is something the birds need us to do; we go through our days ignorant of the dramas in their lives on the same patch of earth as we inhabit. Thus, down at L’Arche Kent’s garden the other morning I was alone, sitting quietly; four goldfinches appeared in the branches above my head, two of them fledgelings, taking their first flight and being shown around by their parents. Our patch of longer grass will bring them back, as it, and the weeds among it, come to seed.

Another story was told by the pigeon feathers scattered over a square metre of grass, where the sparrowhawk had captured a meal for its chicks. In my garden at home this spring the magpies raided three nests, blackbird, sparrow, and just as the chicks were ready to fly, the starlings in the roof next door, though I heard the commotion and saw the magpie fly away empty-beaked. Again this morning I chased a magpie away from next-door-but-one’s sparrows’ nest by clapping hands loudly!

I was the only witness to these events but Miranda Krestovnikoff and Angela Harding invite us to learn about birds according to where they live and what they eat, or by their distinctive beaks and feathers: the goldfinch’s sharp beak for extracting weed seeds, the oily feathers that protect the ducks that pass the garden many times a day, swimming and flying along the river.

This is a book to dip into, one to enjoy with a three-year-old who has learnt to respect books, and will enjoy looking for familiar blackbirds, owls, or domestic fowl. Share it with his sibling of 8 or 9 years, who will be able to read the text, discuss what she is reading and compare the little chapters with her own observations.

The last section is on urban birds, which are adapting to live alongside humans the world over, prospering on left-overs or well-stocked bird tables, or in the case of the peregrines illustrated at Chichester Cathedral, prospering on the many small birds just waiting to be eaten!

Do buy this book to share with your children or grandchildren or else to sit in the armchair and enjoy the pictures as you read the text. Marvel at the story of birdsong, the tool-using crows, the murmurations of starlings, and be grateful to have been given time on this planet. Don’t spoil it!

25 June: Alfie and the Birthday Surprise, a Review.

I thought I liked Shirley Hughes’ children’s books for the illustrations, and indeed, who could resist them? They are respectful to the children and adults portrayed, in the tradition of Ardizzone and often bring to mind Mantegna’s people.

But the stories are good too. They tend to be credible tales of daily life that a child could relate to: Alfie lends a hand, or the classic Dogger, about the loss of an essential companion in the shape of a little boy’s go-everywhere cuddly toy, and how his elder sister saves the day and no doubt their parents’ sleep that night.

Alfie and the Birthday Surprise also treats with loss and gain, and was surely written and illustrated with parents and grandparents in mind. It brought a tear to my eye for sure. Bob MacNally is Alfie’s fifty-two year old neighbour who wants no birthday celebrations; he is very sad because his old cat has died and he doesn’t want another.

Another schoolgirl, Bob’s daughter Maureen, lovingly organises the two families to present Bob with a birthday surprise. It’s a simple story told in words and pictures, and it does not skirt the issue, “Why did Smoky have to be dead?” There is a resolution on Bob’s birthday, thanks to everyone pulling together at their surprise party. It’s all about love. A work of genius.

Alfie and the Birthday Surprise by Shirley Hughes is published by Red Fox books.