Blessed are the gentle
To dentist for check up - filled up 2 holes which is good. She revealed she married a Naidoo and had been in Joburg at Christmas! To Hinsley Room early to prepare to lead spirituality day. It went really well. i played 4 different versions of the Nunc Dimittis and gave everyone Luke 2 and Matthew 5 plus some hymnody "O brother man" "Once in royal David's city" "When candles are lighted". I also showed examples of poor sentimental religious cards and art as opposed to some lovely icons and pictures. Barry Mellish came and there were new faces - 25 in all over the day. To Mahler 2 rehearsal with Stefan - the sopranos had a hard time this week - so many top Bs! On the train home a lady asked if I was John Woodhouse and she said she had been a Saturday assistant at York library. After uni she went into banking - had a good chat. Samina.
Feb 3 Spirituality day
Calming moment
Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.
This is the start of our study this year of the Beatitudes and it is important to take this passage in its context so we will read Matthew 5 1 to 16. It is sensible to look at all of this passage as a whole.
I am particularly pleased that we are using the word Blessed. My late friend Helene la Rue insisted that Happy was the wrong word!
I confess that this particular verse immediately strikes me as difficult. When we were in the Holy Land Dom Brendan gave a superb homily on how the Beatitudes were a model for the life of the Christian and how I wish that I had his text!
However the internet has come to my aid and I hope that the biblical study I found there will help us.
The gentle often translated as the meek.
First thought is the desire to be an English gentleman! A sort of combination of Mr Bentley in “Pride and Prejudice” and Pip in “Great Expectations” with a touch of Mr Darcy! An impossible dream. Upbringing – my Dad and his courtesy to all and the importance of respect for women and especially my mother. My Mum’s firmness and sense of purpose and the importance of commitment “you wanted to be in the choir, you asked to join, your Dad will be disappointed if you do not go”.
There was gentleness but also immense strength. The sense of duty. Also role models Fr Sulter and his panama and white jacket!
Next comes the 19th century vision of Jesus and His mother. Examples from a Sunday school wall and from Liz’s childhood. All very sweet and sentimental. The worst example I’ve seen was in Nazareth with an effeminate young boy with long hair in a white tunic looking more like a dress and a large halo of light around him standing in a spotlessly clean carpenter’s shop. He looked incapable of lifting a nail let alone a hammer! We saw a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth but we need to think dirt and muck more third world and poor.
With this fits “Gentle Jesus meek and mild” and “Christian children all must be mild obedient good as he” – a verse often excluded from “Once in royal David’s city”. BUT maybe children do need to respect their elders. The gentleness and innocence of the newborn and how this brings out gentleness in a parent and grandparent. A new beginning!
Thirdly my present position – about to move from a cosy small tidy library where everyone knows me and we are all happy and friendly together to Balham – busy, many staff, longer hours, lots to learn, many problems, drunks, untidy. I found myself saying “I will use all my charm on the staff” BUT I will also keep a distance. “You will never get all the staff to like you, but you can get them to respect you”. How important respect is today for so many people especially if you come from an ethnic minority or you have a disability. One can be gentle and courteous but firm and strong as well. What kind of leader do people want? Carrot and stick? A shepherd who goes in front of the sheep.
And here one needs to be careful. It’s easy to think “Oh I am a gentle soul” and forget the times I’ve gossiped, moaned, fussed over unimportant things, gone wrong. The sin of pride is far worse than any other sin.
A focus on Mary – a gentle soul who suffers so much. Luke 1 51 to 52 He hath shewed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away”.
Here is strength but gentleness too.
Throughout the story Mary stands quietly waiting – receptive to the Word of God and praying. She smiles and she weeps with us as we stand with her at the cradle and the cross. She laughs at the resurrection and at Pentecost.
So often music and especially hymns speak to us and this afternoon I will be giving you biblical passages and hymnody to ponder.
Inherit the earth – what can this mean? We will look at this in more detail later but for the moment think perhaps about how those who are humble who have inherited the earth. St Therese travelling the world, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St Francis, Jesus himself. Mary, Moses. And in other traditions too we see people who have changed the world – Gandhi, the Buddha.
Who do we actually want to govern us? We seem nowadays to want a person who is available to all, friendly, touchy feely – Obama. We almost want someone ordinary!
Which of course is nonsense because what we want is an outstanding leader we can admire and respect and who has vision which can be implemented. This is perhaps why so much emphasis is placed on the private personal lives of politicians and leaders in all fields- head teachers, bishops, priests. And also we need to think about the earth and how it is being destroyed.
So we need to think hard about this word “gentle” and we will do that later.
So we have much to think about during the silence.
Session 2
Use the passages from the internet - 3 sections were helpful about PRAUS.
Music Bach New Year and Candlemas and Haydn
Handouts Luke 1
Philippians
Matthew 5
Chinese bit
The 2 hymns
Cards
Pictures
Take candle, statues, pictures, CDs, matches, handouts, pencils, paper, cloth for table, big picture
Set up a contrast
Feb 3 Spirituality day
Calming moment
Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.
This is the start of our study this year of the Beatitudes and it is important to take this passage in its context so we will read Matthew 5 1 to 16. It is sensible to look at all of this passage as a whole.
I am particularly pleased that we are using the word Blessed. My late friend Helene la Rue insisted that Happy was the wrong word!
I confess that this particular verse immediately strikes me as difficult. When we were in the Holy Land Dom Brendan gave a superb homily on how the Beatitudes were a model for the life of the Christian and how I wish that I had his text!
However the internet has come to my aid and I hope that the biblical study I found there will help us.
The gentle often translated as the meek.
First thought is the desire to be an English gentleman! A sort of combination of Mr Bentley in “Pride and Prejudice” and Pip in “Great Expectations” with a touch of Mr Darcy! An impossible dream. Upbringing – my Dad and his courtesy to all and the importance of respect for women and especially my mother. My Mum’s firmness and sense of purpose and the importance of commitment “you wanted to be in the choir, you asked to join, your Dad will be disappointed if you do not go”.
There was gentleness but also immense strength. The sense of duty. Also role models Fr Sulter and his panama and white jacket!
Next comes the 19th century vision of Jesus and His mother. Examples from a Sunday school wall and from Liz’s childhood. All very sweet and sentimental. The worst example I’ve seen was in Nazareth with an effeminate young boy with long hair in a white tunic looking more like a dress and a large halo of light around him standing in a spotlessly clean carpenter’s shop. He looked incapable of lifting a nail let alone a hammer! We saw a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth but we need to think dirt and muck more third world and poor.
With this fits “Gentle Jesus meek and mild” and “Christian children all must be mild obedient good as he” – a verse often excluded from “Once in royal David’s city”. BUT maybe children do need to respect their elders. The gentleness and innocence of the newborn and how this brings out gentleness in a parent and grandparent. A new beginning!
Thirdly my present position – about to move from a cosy small tidy library where everyone knows me and we are all happy and friendly together to Balham – busy, many staff, longer hours, lots to learn, many problems, drunks, untidy. I found myself saying “I will use all my charm on the staff” BUT I will also keep a distance. “You will never get all the staff to like you, but you can get them to respect you”. How important respect is today for so many people especially if you come from an ethnic minority or you have a disability. One can be gentle and courteous but firm and strong as well. What kind of leader do people want? Carrot and stick? A shepherd who goes in front of the sheep.
And here one needs to be careful. It’s easy to think “Oh I am a gentle soul” and forget the times I’ve gossiped, moaned, fussed over unimportant things, gone wrong. The sin of pride is far worse than any other sin.
A focus on Mary – a gentle soul who suffers so much. Luke 1 51 to 52 He hath shewed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away”.
Here is strength but gentleness too.
Throughout the story Mary stands quietly waiting – receptive to the Word of God and praying. She smiles and she weeps with us as we stand with her at the cradle and the cross. She laughs at the resurrection and at Pentecost.
So often music and especially hymns speak to us and this afternoon I will be giving you biblical passages and hymnody to ponder.
Inherit the earth – what can this mean? We will look at this in more detail later but for the moment think perhaps about how those who are humble who have inherited the earth. St Therese travelling the world, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St Francis, Jesus himself. Mary, Moses. And in other traditions too we see people who have changed the world – Gandhi, the Buddha.
Who do we actually want to govern us? We seem nowadays to want a person who is available to all, friendly, touchy feely – Obama. We almost want someone ordinary!
Which of course is nonsense because what we want is an outstanding leader we can admire and respect and who has vision which can be implemented. This is perhaps why so much emphasis is placed on the private personal lives of politicians and leaders in all fields- head teachers, bishops, priests. And also we need to think about the earth and how it is being destroyed.
So we need to think hard about this word “gentle” and we will do that later.
So we have much to think about during the silence.
Session 2
Use the passages from the internet - 3 sections were helpful about PRAUS.
Music Bach New Year and Candlemas and Haydn
Handouts Luke 1
Philippians
Matthew 5
Chinese bit
The 2 hymns
Cards
Pictures
Take candle, statues, pictures, CDs, matches, handouts, pencils, paper, cloth for table, big picture
Set up a contrast
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