Author: stmelangell_l5nfea

Update 26th June 2020

We are happy to announce that we have reopened today for private (personal) prayer. 

Please note that we have taken a cautious approach and you will need to adhere to the restrictions we have placed if you wish to visit at this time.

Please follow the signs and any instructions given by staff or volunteers and check the government advice before travelling. Current advice is to ‘stay local’.

Thank you.

Weddings and Funerals
Update June 25
Following the re-opening of various Church in Wales churches for private prayer from Monday 22 June, the Bishops of the Church in Wales thank all clergy and volunteers who have made such re-opening possible in a responsible and safe manner.

Subject to any updated guidance from Welsh Government, we hope to permit those churches with the resources to manage re-opening safely to do so for funerals and weddings from Monday 6 July. Such events will be subject to strict regulation in respect of numbers, physical distancing and hygiene. The Representative Body will issue further guidance on this during the course of next week. We reiterate that no church will be required to open, and that no clergy should feel pressured to do so at this time.

Update 22nd June 2020
We are currently working towards reopening for private (personal) prayer. Please bear with us while we make the appropriate arrangements. WE REMAIN CLOSED AT PRESENT and will update you of any changes as soon as possible. 

Please contact us if you require any further information.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known…… 

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” St Matthew 10:26, 28, NIV.

“Can you take us through your summer solstice experience? How’s it been?” Interviewer. 

“Very wet.” King Arthur Pendragon, Druid. 

These words of Jesus from the Gospel set for today are very appropriate after the shocking stabbings in Reading. Just as all UK Governments are announcing details of the easing of restrictions with the risk of Covid-19 judged to be diminishing, those emerging from lockdown and celebrating this in the sunshine at Forbury Gardens found that risk is everywhere and not only caused by Coronavirus. On the longest day of the year, when it was least expected and being so enjoyed, life was cut away, terrible injuries inflicted and traumatic memories seared into the minds of all involved – and all in the context of Father’s Day. What an irony that, after surviving the pandemic, lives should now be lost in what seems to have been a terror-related incident and, with so many families also devastated by Covid-19, many will find this Father’s Day a difficult time.

So often, the present moment, the future we anticipate and the experiences we seek do not turn out as hoped, which is why King Arthur Pendragon’s words are also so relevant. Social distancing prevented this year’s gathering at Stonehenge itself and dawn clearly wasn’t the wonderful experience he had anticipated. Nevertheless, come rain or shine, the sunrise can’t be cancelled and the previous generations of those who built Stonehenge and first began to gather in that mystical place clearly had faith that it would happen. Given that they had little scientific information compared with today, this must have developed through their affinity with creation itself and, as King Arthur Pendragon said, “Pagans worship the divine but we see the divine through nature…… We believe the earth itself is sacred and we also believe that the ancestors who came before us throughout time should be honoured.” 

His words have a wider resonance as the reassessment of historical public lives, companies and statues continues with regard to slavery and the current expectations of diverse communities. Even the Church of England owned sugar plantations worked by slaves in the West Indies and many organisations and individuals slave traders made fortunes out of human trafficking. What was part of how things were then is now being reinterpreted, as it should be. But, without justifying the means of making their money, so many used their wealth for good, too, such as Sir Thomas Guy. He was a wealthy bookseller who owned shares in a slaving company and his statue is now to be removed from the grounds of Guy’s hospital, which was founded with his money and is still so involved in the work of healing today. Edward Colston, Cecil Rhodes, Robert Baden-Powell – so many said or did awful and yet wonderful things too in the circumstances in which they lived. 

This is often seen in an historical light but, with the recents deaths of so many young people being smuggled into the UK in a refrigerated lorry, it’s clear that human trafficking and forced labour still continue here today. Every generation has its shame as well as its glory – each individual, too – and much is being and will be disclosed, whether or not it is initially successfully hidden or brought out into the open. Once again, the words of Jesus are so pertinent and, as he later speaks of hell, they should be taken seriously. As the beloved Son who trusted his Father in the agony of Gethsemane and the terrible death on Calvary when his body was also stabbed, Jesus’ resurrection, example and love remind us that there is also hope as we consider the hellish and heavenly experiences we all face which can affect and deaden not only the body but the soul too. Every day offers the opportunity to be alive rather than deadened to the possibility of change and new beginnings as we still have time to make choices sometime denied to others. As the ongoing struggle between light and darkness, sorrow and hope continues in our lives, minds and communities, we in our turn will also find ourselves subject to reassessment by those who may judge us when our legacy is entrusted to their care. What will be thought about this era and the responses our generations made when we become ancestors?

Meanwhile, if we allow it to and despite the risks before us, each day will bring another dawn, fresh hope and new opportunities – whether or not it’s wet! 

 The Diocesan Prayer for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Sovereign God;

Even as the inequalities of race, health, wealth, and opportunity lie painfully exposed across our world, we become more aware of our mutual dependence across national and social divides. Give us the courage to make love the foundation of all our decisions, knowing that this will not be without cost, but that it is the only way to righteousness and reconciliation. Amen. (Canon Carol Wardman)

With my prayers,

Christine

Neither Jew nor Greek

A Pastoral Letter to the Teulu Asaph from Bishop Gregory Thursday, 18th June, 2020

Ddim yn Iddew nac yn Roegwr

Llythyr Bugeiliol at Deulu Asaph oddi wrth Esgob Gregory

Thursday, 18th June, 2020

Dydd Iau 18 Mehefin 2009

I was supposed to be writing to you about the Trinity today, but another subject has become so pressing in our national life that it cannot be avoided. It may seem peculiar that the death in custody of a detainee in the United States should spark huge demonstrations and even violent disorder on the streets of Great Britain, but this is what we have witnessed in the last two weeks. A death in custody should always be treated with the utmost seriousness. In 2015, the latest statistic I found, there were 14 deaths in police custody in the United Kingdom, while, more recently, in the year to March 2019, there were 286 deaths in prisons in the UK, many of which were suicide. These are disturbing statistics, because every death is someone’s child, husband, parent, daughter or relative. We hardly hear about them. Yet, in the case of George Floyd, protests in the UK have been widespread, and we have seen violence on our streets.

Roeddwn i fod i ysgrifennu atoch ynghylch y Drindod heddiw, ond mae mater arall wedi codi cymaint ar ei ben ym mywyd ein cenedl fel nad oes modd ei osgoi. Efallai ei bod yn ymddangos yn rhyfedd fod marwolaeth dyn wrth gael ei arestio yn yr Unol Daleithiau wedi esgor ar brotestiadau mor enfawr a hyd yn oed ar anhrefn treisgar ar strydoedd Prydain Fawr, ond dyma rydyn ni wedi’i weld yn ystod y pythefnos diwethaf. Dylai marwolaeth yn y ddalfa gael ei drin, bob amser, fel rhywbeth hollol ddifrifol. Yn 2015, yn ôl yr ystadegau diweddaraf y gallwn i eu cael, bu farw 14 o bobl yn nalfa’r Heddlu yn y Deyrnas Unedig, ac, yn fwy diweddar, yn y flwyddyn hyd at Fawrth 2019, bu farw 286 o bobl mewn carchardai yn y DU, llawer o hunanladdiad. Mae’r rhain yn ystadegau poenus, mae pob un a fu farw yn blentyn, gŵr, rhiant, merch neu berthynas i rywun. Ond prin ein bod ni’n clywed amdanyn nhw. Eto, yn achos George Floyd, bu protestiadau lu yn y DU ac rydyn ni wedi gweld trais ar ein strydoedd.

Someone might be tempted to ask “Why all this fuss about an American situation, appalling though it is?” “Why do we have to say Black Lives Matter, when surely all lives matter?” It would take more than a pastoral letter to address this subject properly, but I suppose this one death, swiftly followed by a second actually, the death of Rayshard Brooks, causes worldwide reaction. It is partly because their ends were caught on video, and live footage seems to indicate that these deaths arose out of trivial offences, and were completely avoidable, were it not for police brutality – and colour.

Efallai bod rhai’n cael eu temtio i ofyn “Pam yr holl stŵr ynghylch y sefyllfa yn America, er mor ofnadwy y mae hi yno?” “Pam bod rhaid i ni ddweud bod Bywydau Du’n Cyfrif, pan mae pob bywyd, siŵr iawn, yn cyfrif?” Byddai’n cymryd mwy na llythyr bugeiliol i drafod hyn yn iawn, ond mae’n debyg fod yr un farwolaeth hon, yn cael ei dilyn yn fuan wedyn gan ail un, marwolaeth Rayshard Brooks, wedi creu adwaith fyd-eang. Mae hyn yn rhannol oherwydd fod eu diwedd wedi’i ddal ar fideo, ac mae’r lluniau i’w gweld yn dangos mai o droseddau pitw y cododd eu marwolaethau ac y gellid fod wedi’i hosgoi’n hawdd oni bai am gieidd-dra’r heddlu – a lliw.

One of the truths about life is that oppression can be almost invisible to the more privileged party. Men can be completely oblivious to sexism, and straight people to homophobia. Sadly, it is also true that the white middle-classes can wonder why racism is an issue. I can tell you now that if it wasn’t an issue, it would not have brought thousands out on the streets. Law abiding citizens from the better backgrounds might see our police as the upholders of law and order, but those who are black or coloured are much more likely to be subject to stop and search. I write as an extremely privileged white university-educated male, favoured to be admitted to the bastions of ancient and privileged halls of learning. For me, the police are pillars of society, and I will always voice my support for them, and deplore any violence against them. I am not so sure that those who are disaffected in our society can see things in the same way. This is not to accuse the police of anything, I am their supporter, but it is to acknowledge that such trust is not readily forthcoming across all sections of society.

Un o wirioneddau bywyd yw y gall gorthrwm fod bron yn anweledig i’r breintiedig. Gall dynion fod yn gyfangwbl anystyriol o rywiaeth a phobl syth o homoffobia. Yn drist, mae hefyd yn wir y gall fod yn syndod i’r dosbarth canol gwyn pam fod hiliaeth yn broblem. Gallaf ddweud wrthych nawr, pe na byddai’n broblem, na fyddai wedi dod â miloedd allan ar y strydoedd. Efallai fod dinasyddion da sy’n cadw’r gyfraith ac o gefndiroedd gwell yn gallu gweld ein heddlu fel ceidwaid cyfraith a threfn, ond mae’r pobl ddu neu liw yn llawer tebycach o gael eu stopio a’u chwilio. Rwy’n ysgrifennu hyn fel dyn gwyn hynod freintiedig, yn ddigon lwcus i fod ymysg y breintiedig rai a gafodd addysg yn rhai o gadarnleoedd dysg hynaf a gorau’r wlad. I mi, mae’r heddlu’n bileri cymdeithas, ac fe fyddaf yn eu cefnogi bob amser ac yn gwaredu unrhyw drais yn eu herbyn. Dydw i ddim mor siŵr y byddai’r rhai mwy anniddig yn ein cymdeithas yn gweld pethau’n union yr un fath. Nid cyhuddo’r heddlu yw hyn, rwy’n un o’u cefnogwyr, ond cydnabod nad yw’r fath ymddiriedaeth i’w gael ym mhob carfan o gymdeithas.

The ancient world was one which was highly stratified. Roman patricians were at the top of the pile, the plebs were the poor, but even poor Roman citizens counted for more than foreigners – the barbarians, who couldn’t speak Latin or Greek properly, and mocked for saying “Ba, ba, bar …” Even they counted for more than the slaves. Jesus and Christianity literally overturned all that with the radical claim that everyone was God’s child, and that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3.28). Now in context, this is a claim about our new identity in Christ, once we are baptised and reborn, but Christianity shook classical civilization to its roots because it said that anyone could be the equal of Caesar.

Roedd yr hen fyd yn un o haenau pendant. Roedd byddigion Rhufain ar ben y domen, y werin oedd y tlodion ond roedd hyd yn oed tlodion Rhufain yn cyfrif mwy na thramorwyr – y barbariad na allai siarad Lladin na Groeg yn iawn ac yn cael eu gwatwar am ddweud “Ba, ba, bar …” Ond roedden nhw, hyd yn oed, yn cyfrif mwy na’r caethion. Trodd Crist hyn i gyd a’i ben i lawr, yn llythrennol, gyda’r honiad radical fod pawb yn blant i Duw ac “Nid oes rhagor rhwng Iddew a Groegwr, rhwng caeth a rhydd, rhwng gwryw a benyw, oherwydd un person ydych chi oll yng Nghrist Iesu” (Galatiaid 3.28). Yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, honiad yw hyn ynghylch ein hadnabyddiaeth newydd yng Nghrist, ar ôl cael ein bedyddio a’n hail eni, ond ysgydwodd Cristnogaeth seiliau’r gwareiddiad clasurol i’w seiliau drwy ddweud y gallai unrhyw un fod yn gyfartal â Caesar.

In just this last week, I have been accused of meddling and of grandstanding, because I’ve voiced again my personal dislike of statues to one particular local lad made good. Let me not start discussing that here! However, as a bishop, as a Christian, I believe that the followers of Jesus are bound to do what Jesus and the prophets themselves did, and that is to speak up always on the side of the least privileged. All lives matter, yes, and for each one Christ died, but we have to say Black Lives Matter because black and coloured communities have come to believe that their lives don’t matter as much.

Ddim ond yr wythnos ddiwethaf, roeddwn yn cael fy nghyhuddo o ymyrryd ac o ymddygiad ‘welwch chi fi’ am ddweud nad ydw i’n rhy hoff o gerfluniau o un bachgen lleol a gododd yn y byd. Ond, byddai’n well i mi beidio â thrafod hynny yma! Ond, fel esgob, fel Cristion, rwy’n credu fod yn rhaid i ddilynwyr Iesu wneud yr hyn yr oedd yr Iesu ei hunan a’r proffwydi’n ei wneud, ac mai hynny, bob amser, yw codi llais o blaid y lleiaf breintiedig. Mae pob bywyd yn cyfrif a bu Crist farw dros bob un, ond mae’n rhaid i ni ddweud fod Bywydau Du’n Cyfrif oherwydd daeth cymunedau du a lliw i gredu nad yw eu bywydau nhw’n cyfrif gymaint.

Today our faith compels Christians to stand with the outsider. “If you do it for the least of these my sisters and brothers” said Jesus, “you do it as for me.” (Matthew 25.40) Rowan Williams once said that Christians should be very careful about drawing boundaries, because they will generally find Jesus waving at them from the other side of the boundary.

Heddiw, mae ein ffydd yn gorfodi Cristnogion i sefyll gyda phobl y tu allan. “Yn gymaint ag ichwi ei wneud i un o’r rhai lleiaf o’r rhain, fy mrodyr” meddai Iesu, “i mi y gwnaethoch”. Dywedodd Rowan Williams unwaith y dylai Cristnogion fod yn ofalus iawn wrth godi ffiniau oherwydd, fel arfer, bydd Iesu i’w weld yn codi ei law arnyn nhw o ochr arall y ffin.

The Archbishop of Wales has made an announcement about the continued closure of churches in Wales and plans to move forward towards reopening.

Please note: St. Melangell’s Church and Centre and all other churches in Wales remain closed until further notice.

Click here to view the video of the Archbishops announcement.

Click here to view the Church in Wales information and updates on Covid-19.

Trooping the colour

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names……”. 

Trinity Sunday
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
St. Matthew 28:16-20, NIV.

“How scared are you?…… If ever there was a week when we needed clear answers about how scared we ought to be this is it.” Andrew Marr.

We continue to live through a pandemic that is still wreaking havoc and it’s clear that fear as well as hope is widespread amongst us. For good reason, perhaps because they are self-isolating, vulnerable or scared, many folk are staying at home to avoid contact. Others are venturing out, meeting up with family or friends, going to work or school and attending the ongoing demonstrations following the death of George Floyd where social distancing broke down as heated emotions were expressed. Some are confused about what to do for the best or scared of a second spike, despite the official advice from government and medical officers as they listen to the daily Coronavirus updates. So, it may help to know that the disciples also had their doubts as they met with their leader to hear what he had to say to them. This was their last meeting and the final words of Jesus to his followers form the Great Commission, so life-changing then – and today.

However, St Matthew’s Gospel makes it clear that the disciples were not united – some worshipped Jesus but others still had doubts, despite his resurrection, the appearances since Easter Day and time spent with him. Perhaps exhaustion or confusion had also set in as they struggled to understand what was unfolding while their way of life changed so fundamentally. That may apply to us, too, as we come to terms with having to live so differently, and as we perhaps look back longingly to what was rather than face what now is.

But, as he commissioned them to go to all nations, Jesus gave the disciples clear guidance for their future – they were to make disciples, baptise them and teach them, in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian God is in relationship and in community, coming to a world and followers in dis-unity both then and today. Those first disciples found their doubts transformed by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and their commission began to be fulfilled as the Gospel gradually spread the world over. Today, we have their example to follow and our own commission to fulfil as we face the challenge to decide for ourselves how to answer the questions being asked by and of each one of us. We’re already finding new ways of relating, of worshipping and of living with Covid-19, which will not easily be defeated. But, whatever our individual circumstances, we can still be heartened by the enduring Gospel message of resurrection hope and find its expression through relationship and in comm-unity, whether or not we can actually meet. This Trinity Sunday, who knows what a difference that could make, whatever lies ahead?

God of Glory:
The union of the Trinity models life in community,
held together by creative love and each honoured in perfect equality.
May we recognise that without honour for each human person our common life is diminished;
but where distinctiveness is valued, we reflect the beauty of your presence amongst us.
Amen. Canon Carol Wardman

With my prayers
Christine

Come, O Creator Spirit, come! Tyrd, O Ysbryd Creawdwr, tyrd!

A Pastoral Letter to the Teulu Asaph from Bishop Gregory Wednesday, 3rd June, 2020

Llythyr Bugeiliol at Deulu Asaph oddi wrth Esgob Gregory Dydd Mercher, 3rd Mehefin, 2020

The moment which always electrifies me in the Ordination service is when all the ritual drops away for a moment, and we join together in singing one of the most ancient hymns of the Church, the Veni Creator (Come, O creator Spirit, come, and make within our hearts your home. To us your grace eternal give, who of your being move and live.) Sung in plainsong chant, unaccompanied where possible, it seems to me that, after all the build up, and before we actually come to the ordinations, everything is stripped away, and we simply seek the merciful action of the Holy Spirit, who alone can give meaning and significance to all that we are doing in that service.

Yr eiliad sy’n fy ngwefreiddio bob tro mewn gwasanaeth Ordeinio yw pan fydd y ddefod yn diflannu am funud a phawb yn uno gyda’n gilydd i ganu un o emynau mwyaf hynafol yr Eglwys, y Veni Creator (Tyrd, Ysbryd Glân, Greadwdwr mawr, ymwêl â’th weision ar y llawr; Â’th ras cyflenwa oddi fry, galonnau’r rhai a greasit ti.) Wrth gael ei chanu mewn plaengan, yn ddigyfeiliant os bo’n bosibl, rwy’n gallu gweld ar ôl yr holl godi at yr uchafbwynt, a chyn i ni ddod at yr ordeiniadau mewn gwirionedd, fod popeth arall yn diflannu ac mai’r cyfan rydyn ni’n ei wneud yw gofyn am weithred drugarog yr Ysbryd Glân, yr unig un sy’n gallu rhoi ystyr ac arwyddocâd i bopeth rydym yn ei wneud yn y gwasanaeth hwnnw.Come, O Creator Spirit, come!

If the Father is immortal and infinite, beyond our grasp, and the earthly ministry of the Son two thousand years ago, yet the Holy Spirit is the unending gift of God to his people to be with us, alongside us. In the Gospel according to John, there are, in the same form as so many other passages, two extended reflections by Jesus on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Chapters 14 and 16. The Spirit of God is named there as “paraclete”, a term, which in the Greek has the sense of “one called forth to be alongside”. The name is translated variously, as “advocate” or “counsellor”, and neither word does it full justice, for the paraclete draws alongside us, to act on our behalf to bring us into God’s presence. “We do not know what to pray,” says Paul, “but the Spirit himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words” (Romans 8.26)

Os yw’r Tad yn dragwyddol ac yn anfeidrol, y tu hwnt i’n gafael, a gweinidogaeth ddaearol y Mab ddwy fil o flynyddoedd yn ôl, mae’r Ysbryd Glân yn dal yn rhodd ddiddiwedd Duw i’w bobl i fod gyda ni, wrth ein hochr. Yn yr efengyl yn ôl Ioan, mae yna, ym Mhenodau 14 ac 16, yn yr un ffurf fel ag mewn cymaint o ddarnau eraill, ddau fyfyrdod estynedig gan Iesu ar weinidogaeth yr Ysbryd Glân. Gelwir Ysbryd Duw yno yn ‘”ddiddanydd” neu “eiriolwr” (paraclete), term yn y Groeg sy’n golygu ‘un wedi’i alw i fod wrth ochr”. Mae’r enw’n cael ei gyfieithu weithiau fel “eirolwr” neu “cynghorwr” ond nid yw’r un o’r ddau air yn gwneud cyfiawnder â’r enw, oherwydd mae’r paraclete yn dod wrth ein hochr, i weithredu ar ein rhan, i ddod â ni i bresenoldeb Duw. “Ni wyddom ni sut y dylem weddio, ond y mae’r Ysbryd ei hun yn ymbil trosom ag ocheneidiau y tu hwnt i eiriau” (Rhufeiniaid 8.26)

Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Easter, and it falls around the same time as the Jewish festival of Shavuot, as Easter falls around Passover. It is the day which the Bible records as the occasion when the disciples were transformed by God’s Spirit which was revealed as wind and fire, sending them out with courage and passion to proclaim the Resurrection. And the Spirit stays with us still. The Spirit’s work is promised in every Baptism, invoked in every prayer, and it is the Spirit who gives life to faith. I believe that the Spirit is at work in every situation to bring life out of death, light out of dark, love out of misery, hope out of despair. The Spirit whispers to us when we pray, and prompts us as we live out our discipleship. The Spirit is our advocate, because he makes us bold enough to seek God’s grace, and binds us into communion with the Father and the Son. St Augustine spoke of the Spirit as the Love that binds the Father and the Son, and who binds us into the life of God. The Spirit also seeks to guide us into the path of fullness of life. “If you wander off the road to the right or the left,” promises Isaiah (30.21), “you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the way. Follow it.”

Y Sulgwyn yw’r hanner canfed diwrnod ar ôl y Pasg, sef tua’r un adeg â’r ŵyl Iddewig Shavuot, gan fod y Pasg tua’r un pryd â Gŵyl y Bara Croyw. Dyma’r diwrnod mae’r Beibl yn ei gofnodi fel y digwyddiad pan gafodd y disgyblion eu trawsnewid gan Ysbryd Duw, oedd yn cael ei ddatgelu fel gwynt a thân, yn eu hanfon allan gyda dewrder ac angerdd i gyhoeddi’r Atgyfodiad. Ac mae’r ysbryd yn aros gyda ni byth ers hynny. Mae gwaith yr Ysbryd yn cael ei addo ym mhob Bedydd, yn cael ei alw ym mhob gweddi a dyma’r Ysbryd sy’n rhoi bywyd i ffydd. Credaf fod yr Ysbryd yn gweithio ym mhob sefyllfa i ddod â bywyd allan o farwolaeth, goleuni allan o dywyllwch, cariad allan o drallod a gobaith allan o anobaith. Yr Ysbryd sy’n sibrwd wrthym wrth i ni weddïo ac sy’n ein procio wrth i ni fyw ein disgyblaeth. Yr Ysbryd yw ein heiriolwr, oherwydd mae’n ein gwneud yn ddigon beiddgar i chwilio am ras Duw ac yn ein clymu mewn cymundod â’r Tad a’r Mab. Soniodd St Awstin fod yr Ysbryd fel y Cariad sy’n clymu’r Tad a’r Mab ac sydd yn ein clymu ni wrth fywyd Duw. Mae’r Ysbryd hefyd yn ceisio ein harwain ar lwybr llawnder bywyd. “Pan fyddwch am droi i’r dde neu i’r chwith, fe glywch â’ch clustiau lais o’ch ôl yn dweud “Dyma’r ffordd. Rhodiwch ynddi.”

I believe that God’s voice does speak to us in our hearts, if we train ourselves to listen. “My mind is full of thoughts,” someone might say to me, “How can I know which of them is the Spirit?”, but that is where stillness helps, where learning to measure the voice of God through Scripture and prayer and worship and fellow Christians and the testimony of the Church through two thousand years assists us in correct discernment.

Credaf fod llais Duw yn siarad gyda ni yn ein calonnau, os byddwn yn ein hyfforddi’n hunain i wrando. Gallai rhywun ddweud wrthyf “Mae fy meddwl yn llawn meddyliau, sut allaf i wybod pa un ohonynt yw’r Ysbryd?” ond dyna ble mae llonyddwch yn helpu, mae dysgu mesur llais Duw trwy’r Ysgrythur a gweddi ac addoli a chyda ein cyd Gristnogion a thystiolaeth yr Eglwys trwy dwy fil o flynyddoedd, yn ein cynorthwyo ni i’w ddirnad.

Above all else, the Spirit seeks to encourage and embolden us. And the Spirit is Love. When we are prompted to care for our neighbour, that is the Spirit at work in us; when we feel compassion for the weak or the outsider, that is the Spirit leading us into Jesus’ example of love exercised for the sake of another.

Yn anad dim, mae’r Ysbryd yn ceisio ein hannog a’n gwroli. A Chariad yw’r Ysbryd. Pan fyddwn yn cael ein procio i ofalu am ein cymydog, yr Ysbryd sydd yn gweithio ynom ni; pan fyddwn yn teimlo tosturi dros y gwan neu’r dieithryn, yr Ysbryd sydd yn ein harwain at esiampl Iesu o gariad yn cael ei ymarfer er budd rhywun arall.

Let us allow the Spirit to make a home in us. Let us use Pentecost to seek him to change us and mould us. Let us invite him to lead and to shape the Teulu Asaph. Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Gadewch i ni ganiatáu i’r Ysbryd wneud ei gartref ynom ni. Gadewch i ni ddefnyddio’r Sulgwyn i ofyn iddio ein newid a’n ffurfio. Gadewch i ni ei wahodd i arwain ac i ffurfio Teulu Asaph. Tyrd, Ysbryd Sanctaidd, tyrd!