29 April: The dirty clouds having washed their faces.

A few months after yesterday’s letter, Charles Lamb is once again writing to his friend Bernard Barton (B.B.), once again trying to persuade him to slow down. The Lambs are now based in Enfield, about nine miles, 14 km from Central London, not yet carved up for railways and suburbs. The stage coach would be the means to get out to Enfield; today the suburban train or the London omnibus, stopping every few hundred yards to let travellers on and off. And little sign of pleasant farms.

And now, dear B.B., the Sun shining out merrily, and the dirty clouds we had yesterday having washd their own faces clean with their own rain, tempts me to wander up Winchmore Hill, or into some of the delightful vicinages of Enfield, which I hope to show you at some time when you can get a few days up to the great Town. Believe me it would give both of us great pleasure to show you all three (we can lodge you) of our pleasant farms and villages.

— We both join in kindest loves to you and yours.—

CH. LAMB REDIVIVUS. Saturday.

From “The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842

These afternoon clouds over London have yet to wash their faces, but Greenwich Park hill was worth wandering up, just to see the storm gathering! With perhaps six or seven miles of countryside in view between the top of Winchmore Hill and the great Town, the view would have been delightful, as Lamb claims.

Redivivus is a Latin word that means reborn, come back to life. Country life was a great pleasure for those with enough money not to worry . . . but . . . the best times never lasted long for Charles and Mary Lamb; indeed he heroically saw her through many harsh times due to what has now been diagnosed as bi-polar disorder. Charles nevertheless made time to spend with their friends.

It can feel heroic or burdensome to keep on visiting or contacting a particular person but doing so may be more of a lifeline than you will ever appreciate in this world. It would certainly have been difficult to visit the Lambs when Mary was undergoing one of her downs but friendships were maintained lifelong. Let’s ask the Lord to bless our friendships.

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15 March: Lenten Pilgrimage XI, Hiking into Silence

Silence can be a moment of revelation, writes Eddie Gilmore of the Irish chaplaincy. Here’s a paragraph from his reflection, where a hike across Wales opened that possibility to him. As ever, the whole article is worth reflecting upon, but here’s that taster.

When I was fourteen I was on a school trip to North Wales and we were hiking one day across the high and remote moorland when the guide asked us to stop dead still and to listen. Having grown up in a city, and in a house where my sister liked to have Radio 1 playing all the time, and where the TV was usually on non-stop, it was probably the first time I had heard that sound of silence. And what an amazing sound it was. It lasted just a few seconds before some of the others started giggling but it was a little moment of revelation for me.

What revelation could we receive if we stopped the noise for a few minutes? That said, I used to find silence following a noisy lawnmower around some extensive grounds, part of my mind concentrating on the machine and the grass, the rest, eventually turning to silence.There are many entries to the bliss of solitude.

14 March: Lenten Pilgrim X: The Accidental Pilgrim.

This poster from Saint David’s Cathedral welcomes the ‘Accidental Pilgrim’. Let us reflect on the times we have become that accidental pilgrim, when a place or person spoke to us unexpectedly. Saint David’s is one of those ‘thin places’ where eternity can feel closer, if not at the Cathedral then by Saint Non’s chapel and well, along the coastal path, or the foundations of the Celtic monastery at Whitesands. The last mile into Canterbury, likewise is downhill from Harbledown with its holy well.

Where will your pilgrimage shrine be today? Are you on holiday? Make space for a holy five minutes. Notice and seize the moment of grace and be sure to reflect in quiet later.

Apologies for the poor focus, especially on the Welsh language leaf! I shall have to go back and retake the photo.

March 8: Lenten Pilgrimage V, Little acts of kindness.

Eddie Gilmore of the Irish Chaplaincy has been reflecting on people with depression and how to help them get free of the blues, starting from research at Ohio State University that focused on 122 adults with moderate or severe depression. The results were published in The journal of Positive Psychology in January.

We know in our work at the Irish Chaplaincy that that little act of kindness can be transformative; and in the case of people in prison, who might be in particular despair, an act of kindness can be life-saving.

What this new study concludes is that the person giving the act of kindness is also helped. The participants were split into three groups. One group was required to carry out kind acts for others twice a week for ten weeks; a second group participated in planned social activities; and the third group were subject to a cognitive behaviour technique known as cognitive reappraisal. This involves the person being helped to recognise when their thoughts follow negative patterns and to make the thoughts more positive. As for the kind acts, they included things like baking biscuits for friends, offering lifts to people and writing notes of encouragement for housemates.

For those in the ‘kind acts’ group there was a greater improvement in depressive symptoms than for those in the other two groups. Dr David Gregg who led the study concludes, “Something as simple as helping other people can go above and beyond other treatments in helping people deal with depression and anxiety.” His colleague, Dr Jennifer Cheavers added, “We often think that people with depression have enough to deal with, so we don’t want to burden them by asking them to help others. But these results run counter to that. Doing nice things for people and focussing on the needs of others may actually help people with depression and anxiety feel better about themselves.”

After all, Jesus did not send individuals to preach the Good News but pairs, and he told them to accept the gifts they were offered. (Luke 10) So let’s not wait till we are depressed, or they are depressed, but get on our feet and walk a little way alongside our friends and family members, or invite them to tea; to cheer them up, and get out of our own head for a while.

7 March, Lenten Pilgrimage IV: Are you ready?

A few years ago L’Arche celebrated fifty years of life on this earth and forty years in the UK. The big celebration in Britain was a pilgrimage to Canterbury, home to the first British community, L’Arche Kent. Hundreds of people gathered at the University of Kent, before an invigorating walk down to the Cathedral for refreshment as well as prayer. Transporting hundreds of people to this corner of Britain, finding accommodation to suit everyone’s needs – we had a few wheelchair users – and learning prayers and songs, all required tight organisation.

Even so, I managed to raise an eyebrow when I led my small group off piste. I was spotted by the chief organiser who wondered what I was up to. He was relieved when we showed up in good time. Quite simply, one of us was a wheelchair user who needed the bathroom, and my family had a new wet room which suited her fine; it was pronounced ‘an excellent bathroom’ and was right beside the back door.

There will always be the unexpected, and often enough the solution to the problem will be at hand:

Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. (Luke 9:3)

We could not get away with that in XXI Century Kent, and with so many people with so many special needs, we had to plan and the plan did its job. And the staves came in useful when we reached the Cathedral, for banging on the floor and raising the roof with their percussion! This part of the percussion procession had hand drums and tambourines.

We wish you a joyful and companionable Lenten Pilgrimage!

We are children of the Resurrection,

Closing statement of the continental Synodal Assembly of Catholic Churches in the Middle East

Once again the Catholic Churches of the Middle East remind us of the importance of ecumenism, working and praying together,

(Traduction from Arabic) We and our praying people thank the Holy Spirit who led us together for a synodal church, and inspired us to pray together in communion, participation and mission through this Continental Synodal Assembly of Catholic Churches in the Middle East that brought together the Catholic family with its seven churches in Bethania – Harissa over a week from 13 to 17 February. This gathering comes in difficult circumstances in our region, especially the economic and humanitarian ones, particularly the repercussions of the devastating earthquake that struck our brothers in Syria and Turkey. Therefore, the participants in the assembly stopped at this painful and heartbreaking event and raised daily prayers for the victims, wounded and displaced in the affected areas. And because we are children of the Resurrection, we followed the work of this assembly, which is the continental stage and a link in the continuous synodal journey. At this point, we would like to thank their Beatitudes, Patriarchs Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, Patriarch of the Maronite Antioch Church, Anba Ibrahim Isaac, Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church, Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch for the Syriac Catholics, Youssef Al-Absi, Patriarch of Antioch for the Melkite Roman Catholics, and Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Baghdad for the Chaldeans, Raphael Bedros, the 21st Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia, and Pierrebattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who were dedicated, along with the participating delegations from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon and the Gulf states, to the success of the work of this assembly and to show profound advantages that unite our churches and establish their presence as a church of hope in the countries of the Middle East despite their presence in the heart of the ordeal, as a church that challenges the imposed reality.   The participants in the Assembly’s work also extend their thanks to the Secretary General of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, and to the coordinator of the next General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, and Sister Nathalie Becquart, Deputy Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, for attending the work of the Assembly and living with them this synodal experience that added dynamism especially on the life of the Catholic Church in the Middle East and on its life in the world. All the latter is based on the request of His Holiness Pope Francis from the sons of the Catholic Church in general to review their Christian lives and “walk together” or Journey together in the light of the Gospel and the requirements of the present time in preparation for the Synod that will be held in the Vatican in October 2023 and 2024, entitled: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”. The continental stage, which was held in Bethania – Harissa, focused on prayer, spiritual discernment, thinking together and working for a week about what emerged during the first consultations in local churches in various countries of the Middle East and the Gulf.   It has reaffirmed the following basic constants of the Church:   1. Synodalism is a core of the heritage of our Eastern Churches. 2. Unity in diversity through unity in communion and the mission and testimony of churches. 3. The roots of common churches are the basis of a unified message 4. The presence of seculars and their talents in the service of the Body of Christ. The role of youth, their capabilities, and their expectations for a renewed Church reflect the challenges they face. 5. The importance of the role and mission of women in the church and their participation in decision-making and service. 6. The liturgy is our life, and the call for a liturgical renewal that is compatible with the aspirations of our youth while preserving its essence and symbols. 7. Calling for a creative and renewed ecumenism and stimulating ecumenical dialogue. 8. The Church of openness to others who are ecclesiastically and religiously different, by listening, dialogue, and togetherness, living together, dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect, in order to show the face of the One God. 9. Fellowship and Hope in Suffering: Towards a Church as humble as a “mustard seed” (Matthew 13/31-32), called to grow and expand amidst the challenge of survival and the rejection of emigration. 10. The mission, witness, and renewed structures of a more synodal Church. 11. Pastorates specialised in dealing with families, women and youth. 12. The importance of media and digital culture as an effective communication tool in the hands of the church to deliver its message in a more comprehensive manner. 13. Continuing the synodal spirit in each Church with the central question: How can each Church be more synodal in the light of the actions of this Continental Assembly of Catholic Churches in the Middle East?   Conclusion The time of holy fasting, which begins next Monday, February 20, is the acceptable and distinguished time to hear what the Spirit says to our churches as we listen to the word of God, pray and repent, and do acts of love and mercy towards our brothers and sisters in their material, spiritual and moral needs, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lebanon, the Mother of the Church and Queen of the Apostles.

31 January: Winter’s charms

From the Epistle to William Simpson by Robert Burns

Ev'n winter bleak has charms to me,
When winds rave thro' the naked tree;
Or frosts on hills of Ochiltree
Are hoary gray;
Or blinding drifts wild-furious flee,
Dark'ning the day!

O Nature! a' thy shews an' forms
To feeling, pensive hearts hae charms!
Whether the summer kindly warms,
Wi' life an' light;
Or winter howls, in gusty storms,
The lang, dark night!

The Muse, nae poet ever fand her,
Till by himsel he learn'd to wander,
Adown some trottin burn's meander,
An' no think lang:
O, sweet to stray, an' pensive ponder
A heart-felt sang. 

Three wintry verses from Robert Burns. Silence and solitude seem to be his prerequisites for hearing the heart-felt song forming in his mind. The Scots dialect is not too difficult here, but just a couple of translations from our third verse. 
Fand: found.
Burn: brook; it crops up in English place-names, Saltburn, Blackburn,  etc..

22 February: Lenten Pilgrimage I.

I don’t see myself walking 200km this Lent, 80 would be an achievement this year with health difficulties. Maybe another year. Follow the link below if you are interested. We at the Mirror approve of walking and of pilgrimages!

CAFOD’s Big Lent Walk! New Year, new challenge! This Lent get involved with CAFOD’s massive walking challenge, the Big Lent Walk. Walk, run, roll, or stroll 200km in 40 days to help people fight poverty. Sign up now

17 December, Advent Light XVII: Carols by lamplight.

What made me think of carol singing in the run-up to Christmas? Whatever it was, my thoughts turned to Ireland in 1968 when I was a student at the Missionaries of Africa’s Saint Augustine’s College in Blacklion, Co Cavan and we continued the tradition of walking the local lanes and the village streets, calling at every house, including the Protestant pastor’s down by the lake.

Away from the village, Blacklion had many small farms with big dogs; there were dark skies and hedges to darken the way further, but we went everywhere and no-one got bitten. We had a couple of good farm lanterns but others were candle ends in jars, slung at the tops of poles. It was a challenge to read the words on the sheets, but we knew all of them and often enough in four voices.

Patricia Hawkins de Medina was living in the village;

My father, Dr. William Hawkins, was medical officer for St. Augustine’s in Blacklion, all those years ago. I have fond memories of attending some of the Christmas pantomimes as a child way back then, and I can remember many of the Fathers. And the students carol-singing at Christmas in the village, and all coming into the hall of our house in Blacklion. So many memories.*

We were creating memories for ourselves as well as the villagers. We were bearing witness to the coming of the Lord, both to our neighbours and to ourselves, as a community of committed young men. But this witnessing brought us face to face with the local families, good, hard-working, struggling people as well as those who were better-off, like the Hawkins family. It is good to be told how special it was to have a male voice choir singing under Patricia’s roof well after bedtime.

Not quite a band of Angels, but we were proclaiming peace on Earth, a grace that certain people in Ireland turned their backs on for years, as they still do in so many parts of the world.

We enjoyed our carol singing, and so did our audience: feasts are given to us to enjoy. Let us not yield to cynicism this Christmas, but pray for peace in our land and peace within our homes and families. Amen.

* See The Pelicans Website

Photograph: Children and staff at Brocagh, a local school, in 1968; some of them will have heard our singing.

21 November: A Reflective Walk.

We had gone up North, despite the railway strikes, for an important family funeral. But thanks to the railway strikes, we travelled early and had time to meet family members and to remember Sheila together, as well as to enjoy a few reflective walks. The restored Huddersfield Narrow Canal offers easy, dry-shod walking; we found warm accommodation in Greenfield village. On a day of showers and sunshine we turned a corner to witness this autumn scene: a watery sun shining through the golden leaves of the beech, the hedge behind it still hardly changed. Can spring be far behind?