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This week’s reflection is written by Christopher Belk and thanks go to him for doing this and taking the service with Ruth.

I have the sort of mind which likes to know how things work, and where it is not obvious I take things to bits in order to find out. Sometimes I cannot work out how to put them together again but the dismantling is always fun. My latest effort involved a type of electric grill which we bought over 20 years ago and which blew all the power sockets when it was turned on: after doing my best I had to admit defeat and as it is well past guarantee date, it will be consigned to the tip.

With increasing age I find it more and more difficult to understand technical things. 60 years ago I knew in some detail how my car worked: last month we hired a holiday car in Switzerland which despite being one of the cheapest was new and full of extra gizmos, and the instruction book was only in German. The only way forward was to try out various buttons and knobs and amazingly it worked, mostly rather smoothly, to be fair. Only later we got our hosts to translate some of it for us.

Today’s OT passage is one of the most famous in the Bible. The verses set for today are only Isaiah 53 4-12, but I have printed on the back of the service sheet the whole section starting from Chap 52.13.

This passage is called “the Suffering Servant”.  No one knows by academic research who Isaiah may have had in mind in writing it, some 600 years before Christ, but it was then and still is generally accepted he was a true prophet who genuinely heard from God. Apparently, Jews teach that it is all about the Jewish nation as a whole, not an individual, as other fairly similar parts of Isaiah (eg Chap 49) may well be, at least mostly. But Jesus himself referred to  this passage as about him and all the NT writers do the same. You don’t need me to count the number of times the physical details in this passage were literally fulfilled in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – you will have heard countless Holy Week sermons about them. My legal mind is completely convinced that on the balance of probabilities this is a true prophecy about an individual, and Jesus is an exact match. The apostle Philip was also convinced, a good Jew who was (Acts 8, 32-34) asked by the Ethiopian eunuch “who is the prophet talking about, himself or another man? Then Philip began with that very passage   (vv.7&8)  and told him the good news about Jesus.”

But my mind still has difficulties in understanding the spiritual effects: the why and the how. What does it mean to say he took up our infirmities, was smitten and crushed by God, bore the punishment that brought our peace, made his life a guilt offering, and bore the sin of many? Why did Jesus say if he was lifted up he would draw all men to him? (John 12.32). Why did he say to Nicodemus (John 3.14) his lifting up would be so that whoever believed in him would have eternal life? Why did he say to his disciples he would give his life as a ransom for many (today’s gospel)? Are we not nowadays past the old superstitions of blood sacrifice, and did not God say he takes no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats (Is.1.11)? Do not those who refuse to believe that a perfect God could send his son to die have something of a point?

This is where the car with the German instruction book comes in handy. I had no idea why the car should work, but clearly the makers thought it would and it had enough kilometers on the clock to show that others had made it work. So we set off in faith, and it proved better than we expected. That is the essence of the Christian gospel: the whole bible is a much better instruction book than the German one, and if you don’t at first understand much of it you can get help, but in the last resort God’s plan is a high mystery, and it is a matter of faith whether you try it out, whether you go on living by it, and whether you show others the joy of doing so. Sadly, many people think that because they cannot understand everything, and do not always have enough evidence that eternal life works for others, they give up on belief, and relegate the gospel and the church to the tip.

I am greatly comforted by noting how many great Christian hymn writers confess to not understanding everything, but nevertheless rejoice in having found eternal life, forgivenessand love in Jesus, eternal life being something that starts now. “Can it be? ‘Tis mystery all” says Wesley. “I scarce can take it in” says Boberg. “I cannot tell why” says Fullerton. “Love unknown” says Crossman, but “Blessed Assurance” says Fanny Crosby, and I don’t suppose even she reckoned fully to understand the Saviour whom she joyfully experienced. 

So for us, let us put aside the intellectual arguments and apathy, and accept that if what the Bible says God has done and Jesus offers is true it must have been necessary, and the results are far too good to ignore. That simply leaves the step of faith, not just finding the initial starter switch which I’m sure all of us here have done long ago or we would not be here today, but the daily steps in committing or recommitting all our actions, griefs and love to him. As we decide again and again to try believing  (but usually not until we do) the next step on the way becomes clearer, as also does our understanding, though even St. Paul never got further in this life than seeing in a glass darkly, and we should never kid ourselves that what we understand so far is enough. 

We eventually found the satnav on that car and could see the way, if we bothered to go on looking at it. Jesus said he is the way and is with us always. Don’t let us take our eye off him.

So don’t stay stuck in the carpark, get on the motorway and go!

‘Jesus looked at him and loved him.’ Mark 10:21 and the theme for Prisons Week 2024.

“All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.” Spike Milligan.

Today’s Gospel, Mark 10:17-31! is topical, with a rich man asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The conclusion of their encounter and its focus on wealth as Jesus tells him to give away all his possessions to the poor contrasts with recent political upheaval about values and money. The withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance for all pensioners and the acceptance of ‘freebies’ such as clothing, glasses and tickets to football matches or Taylor Swift concerts by the Prime Minister and other Government officials has lead to much criticism in the first one hundred days of the Labour Government. Similar issues have often ensnared politicians of all persuasions but Sir Keir Starmer admitted on BBC’s Newscast that there had been, “Bumps and side winds which I prefer we hadn’t bumped into and been pushed by….. stuff on donations, staffing issues, that sort of thing.” In the ongoing row with his Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, who called P&O Ferries “a rogue operator” in its business practices, the wealthy Prime Minister has himself been accused of dubious practice through freebies being accepted for his wife and himself when neither is short of money to buy them for themselves. The Bible states that, ‘Love of money is the root of all evil’ (1 Timothy 6:10) but George Bernard Shaw also noted that, ‘Lack of money is the root of all evil.’ Money, its accumulation and its loss is as much a concern today as in the time of Jesus and a major factor in the causes of homelessness and criminality, with this week marking Homelessness Sunday and Prisons Week.

However, in the Gospel Jesus is not condemning the rich man for being wealthy – money can do a great deal of good. His call is to discipleship, not poverty, but as well as, “You shall not steal,” Jesus also adds, “You shall not defraud,” as one of the commandments to bear in mind – perhaps he knows something about the man that we don’t. Jesus tells him to redistribute his wealth with the needs of the poor in mind and to do so, not only wealth would be affected but also power and status – a step too far for the unnamed man whose circumstances are also unknown. This is too much for him and he turns away from what is being asked – whereas the disciples have already forsaken so much of their own lives, income and security when called by Jesus to follow him unconditionally.

But perhaps there is much more to the question being asked. For anyone to inherit, someone must die and many are the disputes about inheritance gifts, capital gains tax and benefits arising from a death. But at what cost? Jesus, whose own death will pay the price for all humanity, simply looks at the man, loves him and later acknowledges how difficult all this is for rich people although he also warns of the dire consequences of putting earthly possessions before having treasure in heaven.

This Prisons Week, with the system in chaos due to overcrowding and so many homeless people being former prisoners who can’t find a stable home or income, there is much to ponder – not least how we look at others and are regarded ourselves.

Reflections for each day of Prisons Week can be found at prisons week.org

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

The Bishops of the Church in Wales have asked that this bilingual short Litany is prayed today and it seems appropriate for use tomorrow and this week, too, which marks a year since the renewed hostilities in the Middle East. Accordingly, it forms the reflection today and follows in both English and Welsh. 

A Short Litany for the Peoples of Israel, Palestine and Lebanon

Thus says the LORD:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31.15)

God of Abraham, loving father of all the peoples of the Holy Land and the Middle East,

Hear the weeping of your children, and all those who suffer in the storm of violence

Initiated one year ago, and still experienced 

in the land which you blessed with the presence of your Son.

In your mercy, Lord,

Hear our cry.

We remember all those innocent people, the children and the elderly,

Whose deaths are tragic losses, and wounds to our humanity.

Comfort the bereaved without reference to borders,

Bring hope in the conflict and an ending in sight.

In your mercy, Lord,

Hear our cry.

Lead all people out of darkness into light,

Out of war and into peace,

Out of enmity and into reconciliation,

From a spirit of vengeance to a spirit of mercy.

In your mercy, Lord,

Hear our cry.

Litani Fer ar gyfer Pobloedd Israel, Palestina a Lebanon

Fel hyn y dywed yr ARGLWYDD:

“Clywir llef yn Rama, galarnad ac wylofain,

Rachel yn wylo am ei phlant, yn gwrthod ei chysuroam ei phlant,

oherwydd nad ydynt mwy.”

(Jeremeia 31:15)

Dduw Abraham, tad cariadus holl bobloedd y WladSanctaidd a’r Dwyrain Canol,

Clyw wylofain dy blant, a phawb sy’n dioddef yn y storm o drais

A ddechreuodd flwyddyn yn ôl, ac sy’n parhau i effeithio’r wlad a fendithiaist drwy bresenoldeb dy Fab.

Yn dy drugaredd, Arglwydd,

Clyw ein cri.

Cofiwn am yr holl bobl ddiniwed hynny, y plant a’rhenoed,

Y mae eu marwolaethau yn clwyfo’n dynoliaeth mewnmodd mor drasig.

Cysura’r galarus ar bob ochr i’r rhaniadau.

Tyrd â gobaith i ganol y gwrthdaro a thyrd â diweddglo i’rgolwg.

Yn dy drugaredd, Arglwydd,

Clyw ein cri.

Arwain yr holl bobl allan o dywyllwch i oleuni,

O ryfel i heddwch,

O elyniaeth i gymod,

O ysbryd dialedd i ysbryd trugaredd.

Yn dy drugaredd, Arglwydd,

Clyw ein cri.

“Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending.” Jesus in John 1:47-51, today’s Gospel.

‘Michael, row the boat ashore. Hallelujah!’ Spiritual song from the American Civil War.

Today is the feast of St Michael and all angels, Michaelmas. His name means, ‘Who is 

like God?’ and Michael is regarded as the protector of Christians from the devil, particularly at their death, which is why he is the focus for the spiritual – often sung by slaves in the American Civil War – about crossing safely to the other side after life in this world ends. He is also the slayer of the dragon in the Revelation of St John and so Michael and his angels are a reminder that we also need to play our part in standing up to the power of evil, which is so much in evidence today – as is the power of love. 

Here at St Melangell’s, the Shrine has crockets on it – decorations that look like hooks and their particular shapes have been likened to the wings of angels. In this thin place, where heaven and earth do not seem far from each other, many folk have said that they find that a comfort in a place where the Bible speaks of the existence and involvement of angels as God’s intermediaries with humans. The word comes from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger, and some have also taken that interpretation in the name Melangell itself. It’s been suggested that the name may derive from mêl angel, honey or sweet angel, or mil angel, meaning a thousand angels. A pun in the register here in 1723 notes:

Mil engyl a Melangell trenchant lu fyddin y fall.

Melangell with a thousand angels triumphs over all the powers of evil. 

That was taken up by the Guardian, Evelyn Davies, who wrote the Prayer of Blessing from St Melangell’s Shrine. This Michaelmas, may her words still hearten and encourage us all to keep battling on at this time of such severe conflict and warfare in the world, knowing that we are not alone as we do and that the power of love and hope will eventually prevail:

May the love of God fill you with joy and peace.

May the healing power of Christ strengthen and save you.

May the Holy Spirit encourage you

And the compassion of St Melangell surround you.

May a thousand angels guide your steps

And a blessing from this holy place protect you all your days. Amen.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

I remember really looking forward to Harvest Festival when I was a child and looking for the little harvest mouse that was in a different place on the Harvest Loaf every year. The church would be decorated with fruit, vegetables, flowers and produce which filled the windowsills and were delivered afterwards to the elderly and those in need. Many folk looked forward to receiving them and knowing they’d not been forgotten, though I recall one pensioner saying, “ Oh no, not more apples – I’ve not eaten my own yet!” 

Today, this produce can’t be distributed in the same way due to Health and Safety regulations as its origins, production and storage can’t be verified. Instead of the natural displays on the windowsills, here they are now filled with tins, packets and toiletries which will be taken to the local Food Bank where demand and the number of families they support has greatly increased. Many folk are struggling with the cost of living so donations to various charities have understandably diminished at a time when they are most needed and it’s good to be able to contribute in this way. 

Harvest Suppers are also not so common as they were, although they still happen and will be doing so locally. Originally, they were a thank you to all the workers whose labour had gathered in the harvest, usually manually. They would also show the hard work that had gone on in the farms, fields and gardens, resulting in beautiful produce if the weather had been good. The chutneys, jams and pickles that were made were also useful provisions for the winter ahead, when food might not be so easily available in the days before supermarkets and freezers. Finally, the supper would usually be held in the church or village hall, after the Harvest Festival service in church which was an act of gratitude and thanksgiving to God at a time when the land and its weather could mean that a poor harvest might lead to a difficult winter and starvation could result.

Nowadays, the weather and land still affects the yield more than is sometimes realised. This has not been a good harvest for barley which doesn’t like getting its feet wet as it has done this year, whilst the potato yield has also been affected by rotting in ground that was waterlogged. However, berries have done well, as have roses although the war between Russia and Ukraine still affects wheat supplies and, in turn, bread prices….

Perhaps as we consider Harvest Festival and the yield of our life’s produce so far we should remind ourselves that, in a world where so many go hungry, we still have much for which to be thankful this year despite the challenges that lie ahead?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“But you, who do you say I am?” Jesus, of his disciples, in Mark 8:27-38.

“Who in the hell does he think he is?” Joe Biden, of Donald Trump.

Today’s Gospel is set in Caesarea Philippi, the city rebuilt by Philip the Tetrach, son of Herod the Great, which served as the capital of his own tetrachy and was called by his own name to differentiate from Caesarea, the centre of the Roman government. It was a centre for pagan worship of the gods Pan, Baal and the emperor, as well as a place of immorality and worldly power, so it’s an appropriate setting as Jesus asks who people think he is. The disciples reply that some say he is John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets but when he asks the disciples who they think he is, Peter replies that he is the Messiah. 

The notion of the Messiah for the Jews in the time of Jesus was of a great leader from the house of David, an anointed king who would free Israel from their Gentile invaders and restore independence. When Peter says this, Jesus speaks instead of the cross, of rejection and suffering. Although from the house of David, Jesus has shown no interest in regal or political power and, skirmishes with the Pharisees being many, he has yet not had dealings with the Romans. Clearly, Peter and the disciples don’t understand what is unfolding before them – is that why Jesus tells them to say nothing about him? 

As Peter argues with him, Jesus rebukes him harshly in front of the other disciples and speaks of them taking up the cross and following him in the suffering that lies ahead. But this is not just embracing the trials of life and the suffering that can be part of daily life – Jesus asks them to do this for his sake and for the sake of the gospel as well as the consequences of faithfully following him, whatever that may involve. A hard choice indeed, but one which could – and did – change the world.

That same challenge and hard choice continues to face Jesus’ followers today as their purpose and identity clarifies through service as well as example.  As the difficult choices of the American presidential election campaigns develop and the battle for worldly power continues in Washington, it may be that Joe Biden’s question is being asked not only of Donald Trump but that similar queries are being made of us too. It may also be that we are asking this of others and the response may have heavenly consequences as well as hellish challenges. In whichever case, much rests on the reply and in whatever lies ahead.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian. 

’Then looking up to heaven he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha”, that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly.’ Jesus healing a deaf man in Mark 7:24-37. 


“Rose Ayling-Ellis, who’s been absolutely sensational, has taught me more about the art of communication and about teamwork… It’s been honestly one of the real joys of my life to work with her and I think I’ve learned a lot from her. And we’ve had a lot of fun!” Clare Balding, of her deaf co-presenter on Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage. 

Today’s Gospel is first set in Tyre, Gentile territory where Jesus wants to keep his presence quiet – perhaps for some peace after a busy time or perhaps to avoid further criticism from the Jews attacking him. However, a Syrophoenician woman hears of his arrival and comes to him, falling at his feet in a sign of humility. As a woman, and a Gentile of Canaanite descent with whom the Jews were in conflict, there would usually be no contact between the two of them and Jesus is not tactful in his reply to the unnamed woman’s request for healing for her daughter. However, she perseveres and, displaying great faith in him despite their differences, this outsider enables Jesus to realise that his mission may be greater and wider than he has realised. As she refuses to give up and counters what he says, so Jesus fulfills her hopes because of her persistence. When he tells her to go home as her daughter has been healed, the woman does as he suggests at that point and finds that her daughter is indeed well. She has enabled Jesus to see beyond the immediate and to perceive that his ministry is for all people including Gentiles, an insight that changes his own perceptions of what he is about.

Jesus’ ministry continues as he goes through Sidon and a deaf man with a speech defect is brought to him. He takes the man aside and heals him, although using his own spittle on his tongue would not be considered good practice today! As Jesus tells him to “Be opened” he also orders the unnamed man not to tell anyone but is not open himself to the consequences that the healing will bring as word of it spreads. The people are astounded and just cannot help themselves – good news is infectious!

Today, bad news often seems to predominate and one of the things the Prime Minister has been accused of in these early days of his premiership is being too gloomy about the circumstances facing the UK currently. However, one of the good news stories recently has been that of Rose Ayling-Ellis, the deaf contestant who won Strictly Come Dancing and is now co-presenting the Paralympics on Channel 4. With the support of two signers, one covering what others are saying and the other the editorial directions in the earpieces worn, Rose has achieved what many had thought would not be possible, just as Libby Clegg has become the first blind pundit to comment on athletics. Unusually, 25% of Channel 4’s production team and 80% of those presenting have some form of disability which has not been allowed to hold them back – Paralympic events build on what is possible rather than not. That has enabled ways of overcoming disability that creates openings which can astound – just as the crowd was astounded by Jesus, as he enabled the deaf man to hear and speak and found his own vision widened by an outsider who enabled him to see things differently.

There may be times for us when we are being shortsighted or are deaf to what we are being told, although our actual vision and hearing are not impaired – or, like the Syrophoenician woman, we may be the means of enabling others to realise this for themselves. Perhaps like the deaf man, we also need to “Be opened” to seeing and hearing how things actually are?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

 “Do you not see that whatever goes into  a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach?” Jesus in Mark 7,1-8, 14,15,21-23. 

“He’s a man with a fork in a world of soup.” Noel Gallagher of brother Liam.

In today’s Gospel, Pharisees from Jerusalem are shocked to notice that some of his followers were eating without washing their hands and it may be that their concern about abandoning the hygiene practices of their faith is genuine rather than done to provoke him. According to the dietary laws Jews followed, washing of the hands, the food to be eaten and the vessels used to cook and eat it was essential and, being from the centre of faith that is Jerusalem, the more lax customs of the provinces would be particularly noticeable. As this is voiced, the Pharisaical comments irritate Jesus, who quotes Isaiah to them and calls them hypocrites due to a passage omitted in the Gospel today. (Mark 7:9-13. Although the fifth commandment is to honour your father and mother, it had become accepted that money which might have been used to care for them could be given to the Temple as an offering instead, thus disobeying the commandment.) 

Having confronted the Pharisees, Jesus then calls the crowd and suggests to the people that it’s what comes out of someone that defiles rather than what goes in. He later tells his disciples that it’s what is in the heart rather than the stomach that matters as the heart is where many sins which can grow when the person feeds on wrongdoing whereas food simply goes through the system and passes out again. 

However, the washing of food and utensils is important in avoiding food poisoning, a factor to consider is the days before fridges. Restrictions over pork and milk were also considerations for good reason whereas Jesus declares all foods clean (v19) as he now prepares to enter Gentile territory and its practice. Nowadays, hygiene regulations apply where food is served and the washing of hands became a priority during the pandemic with emphasis on thorough cleansing rather than a brief rinse. Given that so many people the world over have no clean water to drink or nourishing food to eat, the irony in what the Pharisees say is not lost today and being from Jerusalem links them with the place of Jesus’ death but also his resurrection as circumstances changed. As the church continues to battle the tension between established practice and changing interpretations, compromise may be possible – as Oasis reunite after resolving the protracted disputes between the Gallagher brothers, perhaps Liam’s dilemma could be overcome by using a spork, a spoon with tines, instead of a fork!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

’So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” ‘ From John 6:56-69.

“He was there for us. We’ve now got to be there for him whilst he’s going through this.” Sean, 17, of Freddie Flintoff as he recovered from a serious car accident.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of gaining eternal life through eating the bread of heaven which is his flesh and blood, to be offered on Good Friday as his body is pierced and blood flows from the wounds the soldiers inflict on him. However this happens before the Last Supper and those with Jesus are bemused, wondering what on earth he’s talking about and finding it all too hard to understand. They complain about it, and even his disciples say that it’s a hard teaching with many refusing to follow him any more with Jesus even challenging those who remain and asking if they also want to leave. This must have been a difficult time, before Simon Peter replies that there is no-one else to whom they could go for Jesus has the words of eternal life and is the Holy One of God – although he was later to deny him.

Earlier, Jesus had referred to the manna in the wilderness when the Israelites were given sufficient food for the day. Initially, there had been thankfulness for the escape from Egypt (Exodus 15:1-22) but this quickly turned into complaints as the Israelites began to doubt and found it hard to trust in what is happening. Even though God 

miraculously provided water, quails and manna for them, the people complained and began to grumble about Moses and his leadership. So it is with Jesus: even though he has miraculously provided food for the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14) the people begin to complain about him and to doubt what he is saying. His followers reject Jesus as the manna to which he refers but, in the way they grumble about him, treat him just as the Israelites responded to manna in the wilderness – showing that he is the manna on which they could feed. Many, however, choose not to.

As they turn from him, Jesus suggests that this is because some of them do not believe (v64) but this word can also be translated as trust or reliance. The people don’t trust him, despite what they have witnessed earlier, just as the Israelites doubted Moses despite what God provided for them. Jesus suggests that trust is key when he says that they can abide in him and he in them (v56) – regardless of the circumstances and perhaps because of them. Abiding with Jesus is challenging when he baffles his followers with his teaching and learning from him is difficult, particularly when many want their physical rather than spiritual needs met by him. Having seen him at first as a Moses figure, to continue the discipleship he offers is a challenge many can’t or won’t undertake and they turn back rather than abide with him.

Recently, the former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff began to coach a team of lads from the streets in Preston, using the sport to try to encourage them to do more with their lives and develop their skills. Some fell by the wayside although others committed to what he was offering, and ideas of a tour in India were mooted. During this time, Freddie had a bad accident whilst filming for Top Gear and his recovery was delayed by not only his physical wounds but also the flashbacks and anxiety attacks that he suffered. Sean, one of the lads from a difficult background who had not easily settled, realised that Freddie needed help and time and seemed to commit to that, saying: “He was there for us. We’ve now got to be there for him whilst he’s going through this.” 

Abiding comes in many forms.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus, in John 6:51-58.

“It is chicken soup which has brought us together.” Miriam Margolyse, the atheist of Jewish heritage, after attending a Sabbath meal with a Rabbi and his family. 

Today’s Gospel is the third part of Jesus’s teaching on the bread of heaven, which he likens to his flesh and blood. This takes place after the feeding of the five thousand, when so many are fed through God’s grace and the generosity of a little boy who gives up his lunch for others to share. Jesus teaches the crowds after they have been fed and causes some offence as many of his listeners confuse his words with cannibalism, which was also an issue for the early church. Food was a huge issue for the Jews, whether the apple (which definitely could not have been a Granny Smith!) or more likely a pomegranate depicted in the story of Adam and Eve, the manna provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, Elijah being fed by a raven or the traditional Friday night Shabbat meal for which so many families still gather. In saying what he does about his flesh and blood, Jesus is being deliberately provocative as the crowds have been chiefly interested in food for their bodies rather than their souls which is what he is offering when he speaks of eternal life. Jesus shocks many of his listeners, forcing a reaction to his words of hope which many reject through wanting only the bodily food that is easy for them to accept. 

Food is very much an issue in the UK at the moment, whether in the rising prices of the cost of living, the poor harvest of barley and potatoes in some areas due to the soaked ground or the emulsifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, flavours and colourings being added to ultra-processed foods. At the same time, a huge range of food is available all year round through tinned goods, freezers and fresh produce, in contrast to some parts of the world where famine is a reality and where starvation and malnourishment are constant issues. In contrast to You are what you eat, for many it is true that You are if you eat. 

Although Jesus loses many in the crowd and some of his followers through what he says, his words are seen in their true perspective after his death and resurrection. It is also through Jesus’ breaking of the bread that he is recognised by those with him on the road to Emmaus. With whom, and when, have we eaten with others and found ourselves blessed and heartened – whether with bread, chicken soup or the food which is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet? 

For me, one of those times was a recent school reunion, a meeting of former classmates who have been gathering for many years now. As we ate food together and shared memories and photographs of how we were, it was a relief to see that we’re all still recognisable! I heard a couple of things about me as a pupil that others recalled, whereas I had long forgotten them, just as I remembered an incident that the other person couldn’t. It’s fascinating to see what’s become of us all over the years and to know that what linked us then is still being sustained by maintaining relationships and breaking bread as we ate and drank together.

Perhaps this was an aspect of which Jesus was talking, for the central act of Holy Communion means that wherever bread is taken, blessed, broken and shared with others there the bread of heaven is manifest too, feeding souls as well as bodies, generations as well as individuals, and linking humanity with the divine through Love incarnate and its cost. In his poem ‘The Table’, from ‘The Singing Bowl’ published by Canterbury Press, poet Malcolm Guite writes of this:

‘The centuries have settled on this table

Deepened the grain beneath a clean white cloth

Which bears afresh our changing elements.

Year after year of prayer, in hope and trouble,

Were poured out here and blessed and broken, both

In aching absence and in absent presence.

This table too the earth herself has given

And human hands have made……

Because another tree can bear, unbearable,

For us, the weight of Love, so can this table.’

So, too, can we help to bear the sacrificial weight of Love when body and soul are fed and strengthened by the bread of heaven provided at the table that is any altar, if we decide to come to receive it when faced with so many choices in life and sustenance.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.