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Today celebrates St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist and is also UN World Peace Day with a call to prayer being issued by the World Council of Churches. It’s also World Gratitude Day and, alongside the prayer requested particularly for the Middle East, the evangelist and broadcaster J.John has written a reflection on gratitude which was sent to me with the suggestion that it could be circulated. So, here it is – sent with gratitude for it and my prayers!

Christine, Priest Guardian.

Gratitude: The Attitude That Changes Everything

Sunday 21st September is World Gratitude Day.

Gratitude is not just polite manners; it’s powerful medicine. It is like oxygen for the soul: we don’t thrive without it. We are, as it were, hard-wired to say ‘thank you’ not just to people, but to someone beyond ourselves.

And here’s the awkward question for the atheist: if you don’t believe in God, who do you thank when you see a glorious sunset, hear a newborn baby’s cry, or survive a near miss on the motorway? Nature isn’t listening. Evolution isn’t either. But heaven is.

Gratitude is riches; ingratitude is poverty. Gratitude is contagious so let’s spread it!

Gratitude is good for us

Gratitude is a gift that blesses both the giver and the receiver. It’s a mood booster, a perspective shifter and a spiritual disinfectant.

Anger struggles to take root in a thankful heart. Try being furious while singing, ‘Thank you, Lord!’ – it doesn’t work. Gratitude doesn’t change the situation, but it changes us in the situation. Very few disputes begin with, ‘I just want to say how grateful I am . . .’

Pride resists gratitude because it refuses to admit dependence. But gratitude is humility in action, saying, ‘I need others and I need God.’

The Bible says, ‘Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall’ (Proverbs 16:18 NIV). Gratitude is the parent of all virtues because it recognises that we are not self-made.

Envy wilts when gratitude flourishes. Gratitude says, ‘I am content with what I have.’ Adam and Eve had paradise but discontentment made them reach for the one fruit they didn’t have. Gratitude would have saved them and us a lot of trouble.

Psychologists now confirm what Scripture has always taught: grateful people are happier, healthier and more hopeful. People today talk about mindfulness. I say, try thankfulness – it works!

Gratitude is good for others

Gratitude is love in its simplest form. It costs nothing, yet it can make someone’s day.

A word of thanks turns a tedious job into a worthwhile one. Gratitude oils the gears of marriage, family and friendship. Withholding gratitude dries up relationships. No wonder so many managers and leaders lose people not because of pay, but because of their inability to say, ‘Thank you.’

A thankless heart divides. A grateful heart unites. Gratitude doesn’t just make  you  better, it makes us better.

Gratitude is good before God

For Christians, gratitude is not optional but essential. We serve a God who made us, loves us, redeemed us in Christ and fills us with his Holy Spirit. We are people of thanksgiving!

‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise’ (Psalm 100:4 NIV).

‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’ (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV).

‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

‘By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Philippians 4:6 NIV).

And just peek at Revelation – heaven resounds with thankfulness! We’d better start rehearsing now. Gratitude isn’t just for today; it’s training for eternity.

Of course, gratitude does not mean pretending everything is fine. The world is broken, but when we give thanks to God, we celebrate the light in the midst of the darkness. Gratitude doesn’t deny pain, it defies it.

Practising gratitude

Gratitude needs nurturing. Our culture is self-obsessed and over-busy. People are quick to demand their rights but slow to express thanks. Yet gratitude has a lot going for it. It frees us from toxic emotions, strengthens relationships and aligns us with God’s will.

Gratitude is not a day in the diary but a lifestyle for eternity.

A heart response

Lord, thank you for the gift of life, for the people who bless us and above all for Jesus, the greatest gift of all. Forgive us for the times we complain more than we praise, grumble more than we thank. Teach us the rhythm of rejoicing, the discipline of thanksgiving and the joy of contentment. May gratitude flow from our lips, our hearts and our lives, so that those around us may glimpse your goodness through us. Amen.

When we thank God, we stop staring at what we lack and start celebrating what we already have. Gratitude is not simply an attitude – it is the attitude that changes everything.

J.John

jjohn.com

”Which of you….does not….go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 15:1-10.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” John Dewey, American scholar.

Today is Education Sunday, coinciding with the start of the new academic term for those in education of any sort. It’s a challenging time for students and teachers alike with issues such as increases in university fees, shortages of nursery places, difficulties with crumbling buildings and controversies over the legacy of Covid causing social and mental health issues for some with the use of mobile phones and the accessibility of the dark web all contributing to the complexity of education today. Equally, Oxford and Cambridge are amongst the world’s leading universities and today’s school students have a range of opportunities not available to those of previous generations who were taught with chalk and talk. Just as discipline is sometimes criticised as being too lax today, so it has been not only severe but occasionally dangerous in bygone times – I was in various classes where chalk or the wooden blackboard rubber was thrown across the room at a rowdy pupil and narrowly missed being hit in the head by one when I turned at the wrong time!

One of the earliest instances in Jesus’ life shows him, unbeknownst to his parents, staying behind after a visit with his family to Jerusalem so that he could listen to the Rabbis in the Temple, learn from them and ask them questions (Luke 2:41-51). Jesus was often called ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’ as he taught his disciples and the crowds who flocked to hear him – he also told his followers to let the children come to him (Matthew 19:14). The church followed his example down the centuries through monasteries, universities and schools and, here in Wales, the circulating schools were developed in the eighteenth century by Revd Griffith Jones so that a group of children could be taught to read the Bible and could then pass this learning on to others. This was remarkably successful in establishing early literacy, often in the Welsh language, and Sunday Schools also became a means of teaching the young. The church is still involved in education today, as are other faiths, and these schools are not without critics as well as supporters. 

It’s in this context that this week’s murder of the right wing activist Charlie Kirk at a debate on the campus of Utah Valley University assumes a chilling context, occurring in a setting where free speech is usually lauded. The comments about this made by the President-elect of the Oxford Union also seemed to contradict free speech in an academic setting where considered debate is normally paramount, although these remarks were later withdrawn. Kirk’s right wing and conservative views led him to debate freely with those who opposed him and, as such, he  was an open target for Tyler Robinson to assassinate. Ironically, in trying to silence the voice with which he disagreed, Robinson has created a wider platform for Kirk’s message to be heard, with some terming him a martyr as outrage at his murder spread across social media and as his defiant widow and others vowed to continue and develop his work. 

Robinson himself had been a successful pupil and was in the third year of an electrical apprenticeship, seeming to be a promising student. However, there is a world of difference between schooling, learning and education and although he had good prospects Robinson chose to become a murderer. He may well pay a heavy price for it as calls begin for him to face the death penalty for one of the most significant political killings in recent US history.

Today is also Holy Cross Day, when the means of a terrible death eventually became a symbol of hope and peace and when the life intended to be snuffed out was transformed into a new way of being and living. Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel of seeking the lost and so may Charlie Kirk’s family, friends and organisation Turning Point, having reached out to so many young people as they seek their way in life, discover that they also find the care and support they now need from the Good Shepherd and those around them in their own devastating loss. Will this become a turning point for all involved or will it accelerate the tensions that are obvious in the UK as well as America, clearly shown in the violent and divisive demonstrations in Whitehall yesterday? 

Nelson Mandela suggested that, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” At this time of such profound change, life itself has much to teach us – what are we learning and passing on to the generations to come?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 14:25-33.

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” Max Lucado.

In last week’s reflection, I mentioned an incident in my childhood and then suggested that Sir Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Party – its name when I was growing up! Today, the party is called the Liberal Democrats and has been since its foundation in 1988 when the Liberal Party merged with the Social Democratic Party – going back in time can affect not only perceptions of yesteryear but current memory too. 

The same is true with regard to the Gospel today, which seems to be contrary both to today’s standards and also Jesus’ command then to love God, neighbour and self. He refers to hating family and even life itself in order to follow him, which may sound extreme now but is actually a Rabbinic way of making a point, meaning to love less. Jesus suggests that following him and carrying the cross if necessary is to be preferred above all other considerations, including family. He makes the point with an illustration about checking the cost before starting to build a tower to ensure that it can be afforded and then a second example of a king who must first consider whether he has sufficient soldiers to be able to go to war with his opponent or must seek peace instead. Jesus then says, ”So, therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not renounce all your possessions.”

In the King James Version, renounce is translated as forsaketh, meaning to bid farewell. Jesus is telling those listening to him that they must be ready to bid farewell to all that is dear to them in order to follow him, words that many may struggle to hear and yet, Luke says that large crowds were following him. Why would they do this when what he says is so challenging?

Jesus had been performing many miracles and often speaking to the crowds around him who had heard of this preacher, his healing and stories and were interested enough to follow him. But perhaps it was the spectacle and excitement they sought, rather than costly commitment to his teaching. Putting family first was a priority in the time of Jesus and so it would have been difficult to hear his words about loving them less but the suggestion of carrying the cross would have been shocking for, in those days, that would have been done by criminals carrying the means of their death to the place of execution. Jesus warns the crowds that they might be humiliated, shamed or put to death through a commitment to him, as would be shown later by his own suffering and death in response to what was asked of him. Even possessions must be given up, if necessary – hardly an attractive proposition then, or now.

This may not be asked of all his followers, but there are many places the world over where home and family have been left behind and where suffering, violence and death may seem to dominate in the struggle for freedom, justice and peace. The teaching of Jesus is challenging but is also a reminder to sit lightly to worldly priorities and to consider his call on our lives spiritually. It was so for Melangell, who renounced her heritage to follow another path and was at prayer, so the story goes, when the hare ran to her for sanctuary and the encounter with Prince Brochwel began. It has been so in the lives of many down the ages and 405 years ago, on 6th September, the Pilgrims did just that, leaving Plymouth for a hazardous voyage on the Mayflower to America in search of a new life of religious freedom, renouncing all that was familiar and forsaking their old way of life. Careful planning was needed, much was demanded of them, some died and harsh conditions were faced on arrival – but they found what they sought and also established what became the United States. 

In a week when crowds have been much in evidence, gathering at the start of the political conference season, protesting about migrants in Epping or about the situation in the Middle East in Westminster, there may be times when it’s important to be part of those crowds seeking change or perhaps opposing what is sometimes being demanded. But, despite the songs and chants of protest, it’s important also at times to stand alone and apart – Jesus suggests that his is the voice to which attention must be paid, a call that can easily be drowned out by noise and commotion, and that careful planning and consideration is also needed for what will be. Perhaps, as for those Pilgrims, there are things to be renounced, forsaken or embraced if we truly are to follow and be involved with the teaching of Jesus today and not just be part of the crowd observing the spectacle of his ministry?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 14: 1, 7-14.

“Take your elbows off the table, Geoff.” My mother, who was a teacher, to my father at Sunday lunch when I was a child. His reply cannot be circulated!!

As a child, table manners were always considered important at home particularly with four children at hand and my father sometimes being treated like a fifth by my mum, who occasionally forgot that she was not in the classroom. Dad’s response usually reminded her, sometimes more politely than others! Today, it seems that families often eat different meals at separate times, some while watching TV or perhaps with mobile phones at hand and conversations or activities taking place with others not present. Today’s Gospel deals with the etiquette practised in the time of Jesus and his interpretation of what it meant in terms of God’s kingdom and the heavenly banquet. 

In Luke’s passage, Jesus has been invited to the house of a Pharisee – this is not about hospitality but an opportunity to meet Jesus at close quarters and try to trap him. Jesus notices that the guests choose the places of honour for themselves – often these occasions were used for social advancement but Jesus warns against this. Instead, he suggests that a guest should choose a lowly place in case other more distinguished people are present and then be invited to move up higher if they are not. In that way, due recognition could be accorded rather than eclipsed and Jesus also reminds those present not to give invitations in the hope of being repaid with a return invite. He suggests that friends and family should not be invited to a meal for that reason but that the outcast, the poor and disabled should be welcomed, specifically because they cannot repay the social etiquette expected in those days. Jesus exaggerates to make a point, for the Pharisees believed that they would be rewarded for generosity and charitable acts at the resurrection of the righteous – but, meanwhile, are acting unrighteously by favouring those who may favour them in return. 

That often applies today, too, and an invitation to a dinner has been much in the news this week. The Liberal Democrats Party leader Sir Ed Davey has announced that, although he has been invited by King Charles to a banquet at Windsor Castle for the visit of President Donald Trump next month, he will boycott it in protest about the situation in the Middle East. Sir Ed said that he and his wife Emily “…have spent all summer thinking about this and have prayed about it. There is no honour like an invitation from the King, and not to accept his invitation goes against all of our instincts…. Boycotting the banquet is the one way I can send a message to Donald Trump and Keir Starmer that they can’t close their eyes and wish this away. We have to speak up, they have to act. Donald Trump must act to end this humanitarian crisis.”

There are many who would disagree with his political assessment and response just as there are many who would agree with it. But it echoes the points made by Jesus as he finds himself a guest at a meal where politics are at work, duplicity is afoot and all is not necessarily as it seems. His remarks are pertinent to us today, as we are also asked to ponder our genuine invitation from another King to his heavenly banquet – but on very contrasting terms. Jesus’ parable suggests that God’s criteria for his guests will be very different from the usual expectations and that the invitation shows his generosity and grace rather than our merit. As George Herbert writes, ‘Love bade me welcome…. So I did sit and eat.’ Will we be at Love’s feast in due course and might we be astonished to see who else is or isn’t there? And might they be surprised about us?!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian. 

“I am among you as one who serves.” Jesus in Luke 22:24-30, today’s Gospel.

”I opened myself to you only to be skinned alive. The more vulnerable I became, the faster and more deft your knife. Knowing what was happening, still I stayed and let you carve more. That’s how much I loved you.” Rabih Alameddine in ‘I, The Divine, A Novel.’

Today is the feast of St Bartholomew, one of the Twelve and a trusted follower of Jesus. His name is Semitic, meaning son of my furrows, indicating a farmer or land owner and it may be that he also had the name Nathanael as he is often associated with Philip, who brought Nathanael to Jesus and called him an Israelite worth of the name. He isn’t listed as an apostle whereas Bartholomew is – was he possibly Nathanael Bar-Talmai?

Much about him is uncertain, not least that there are three versions of his martyrdom. The best known is that Bartholomew was flayed alive and depictions often show knives and his skin wrapped around him. The horrific manner of this death has lead to him becoming the patron saint of tanners, butchers, leather workers, bookbinders, vellum makers, glovers and shoemakers but perhaps the greatest tribute is the hospital named after him, Bart’s in London – now a centre of excellence for heart and cancer care.

Today’s Gospel doesn’t name Bartholomew but happens at the Last Supper where all the disciples have gathered with Jesus to share what will be a final meal with him before his death. As a dispute breaks out about which of them will be regarded as the greatest, Jesus reminds them that leadership is about service and that he is among them as one who serves. How bitterly disappointed he must have been to hear the disciples argue about this and to know how little they have understood about what he is trying to teach them. Yet Jesus focuses on the positive and tells them that they have stood by him in the various trials he has faced and that he is conferring on them the kingdom that his Father conferred on him. He says they will eat and drink at his table in the kingdom, of which the Last Supper is a foretaste although they don’t realise that. What must the disciples have made of this later, when they fled rather than stood by Jesus at his arrest and realised they had argued so pettily at their last meal with him?  

There are perhaps times for us when we realise that arguments may have intruded over a meal or meeting and that things weren’t as we thought or hoped at the time in a way that causes regret later. It’s also easy to become sidetracked with disputes over the approach or leadership of others as can often be seen in so many disagreements where power rather than service becomes key. The affirming and encouraging words of Jesus to his followers despite their shortsightedness were hallmarks of his own commitment to what he preached to them, shown in the agony of his scourging before crucifixion. That involved a whip where the flails were weighted with strips of sharpened metal designed to flay partially the skin on his back and make the suffering on the cross even more horrendous. God also asked of his Son what was asked of his followers.

As a child, I remember hearing the phrase don’t do that or you’ll be flayed alive being used as a deterrent. Sometimes, the word used was skinned alive, often shortened to being skint, where money had run out for various reasons. Horrible images were also depicted in other ways such as Rabih Alameddine’s powerful writing of what can be the terrible and sacrificial cost of love – thankfully, the term is not used so much now.

Perhaps Jesus’ affirmation of his followers at the Last Supper, combined with the terrible suffering and sacrifice of his crucifixion, partly underpinned their resolve to spread the Good News the world over after the resurrection. Bartholomew’s flaying came after his missionary work in India, Ethiopia, Turkey and various other countries before going to Armenia where he was said to have been skinned and beheaded on the orders of its king, Astyages. That was a terrible death after a life based on the Good News and service but it showed the best as well as the worst of humanity as it has since inspired the work of healing in the hospital of which Bartholomew is patron. Perhaps it could inspire us, too, as we wrestle with the worst as well as the best and the everyday challenges of humanity before us today? 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Jesus, in Luke 12:49-56.

“What did you make today: a difference or an excuse?” Noel Edmonds.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of bringing fire to the earth – Moses’ burning bush, the pillar of fire and cloud which lead the Israelites, Elijah’s chariot of fire and the tongues of flames at Pentecost resonate with this as signs of God’s activity in the world. But fire can also burn and destroy, as John the Baptist warned when suggesting that what is not fruitful will be cut down and thrown into the flames. Jesus himself also speaks of hellfire in Matthew 25:41 and of creating division rather than peace on earth, despite so often being called the Prince of Peace.

Recently, in nearby Shropshire, the plentiful harvest of straw that one farmer had grown and stored in two barns caught alight in the fourth heatwave this year. The Fire Brigade would usually remove some of the burning straw to take it into the fields to be soaked for the flames to be extinguished but, as the grass was so dry, it could not be done in case that ignited too. The surrounding streams and pools were also too low to use to supply the hoses and so water had to be brought from further afield by bowsers, which delayed the flames being extinguished. Consequently, the farm’s entire straw harvest for use with livestock during the winter was lost, both barns destroyed and the farmer’s livelihood imperilled after so much hard work in vain.

Whether or not this is due to climate change or the earth’s natural cycle is a moot point, although the blackberries are ready much earlier than usual and some trees are already dropping leaves and even branches – signs of the stress they are under after so much heat and lack of water. Jesus, often so observant of nature around him, refers to the signs of changing clouds or winds to indicate forthcoming rain or heat but links this to discerning the signs of the age in which he and his followers live – much more than just the weather forecasting he mentions. As he warns his followers of the strife and divisions of the times, Jesus also accuses some of them of hypocrisy in not recognising the spiritual significance of what is happening. The Prince of the Peace of which angels sang at his birth also blessed peacemakers in the Beatitudes, spoke of leaving peace with his followers before his death and, at his resurrection, reassured his frightened disciples with his first words, “Peace be with you”. But this was in the context of the terrible violence meted out to him at his imprisonment, crucifixion and death – it is not the shallow, false peace of appeasement but the peace bought at so great a cost.

That was reflected in the VJ Day commemorations this week when the Forgotten Army in Burma, a multinational force made from the Commonwealth countries who spoke 100 languages between them, was remembered and the sacrifice made by so many in the war with Japan was acknowledged. The deaths and terrible suffering on all sides brought an end to the fighting, though not necessarily the hostility, as the challenge of the work of the peace began. That challenge continues today, as the signs of the times are interpreted in our generation as well as those in the time of Jesus. Warnings of fire and division are hard and costly to bear – but so is the possibility of a just peace and collaboration across nationalities, faiths and cultural divides if the commitment and will for this can succeed. Which will prevail? Will the example of those who paid the price in Burma inspire us in so uncertain a world and could the fire of which Jesus spoke also enlighten the way forward, whether divided or united? As the King said on VJ Day, the “….courage and camaraderie displayed in humanity’s darkest hour is a flame that shall blaze for eternity – a beacon that honours our past and guides our future.”

With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you….Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.” Jesus, in St. John 14:27.

“He told me that on VJ Day, they were told to line up their vehicles on the shore as a show of victory. He said he hoped the Japanese nearby had also been told that the War had ended – otherwise they would have been sitting ducks!” Gnr S Perkins, Field Artillery, quoted by his son.

Today’s reflection is the letter beneath from Sister Mary of the Angels, an Irish nun living in the Far East during the Second World War. She writes to reassure Mrs. Orford, the wife of a soldier who has been helping with the repairs needed to the Convent, that her husband is in good health and that they may be reunited in the near future. The letter is a remarkable testimony to the circumstances and sentiments of the time and is an authentic voice speaking across the years to us today as we, in our own troubled times, face similar challenges and the same need for courage and faith. The print can be enlarged but, if it’s not possible to do this and it’s too small to read easily, please go to ve-vjday80.gov.uk and search in the letters section for Sister Mary to the wife of a soldier who had helped repair her convent.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” The rich farmer, in a parable told by Jesus in Luke 12:13-21.

“Honour the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce.”Proverbs 3:9.

Lammas, or Loaf-mass, is traditionally held on August 1st, or thereabouts, and marks the gathering of the first fruits of the harvest with a wheat loaf made from the grain being offered at the altar. An ancient thanksgiving, from a time when people were much more in touch with the land and dependent on its yield than some may be today, it was the start of the garnering of the crops which would end with the celebration of Harvest Festival when, according to the hymn, “all is safely gathered in”. 

Here in the valley, the hay bales in the adjoining field are already awaiting collection and it’s been a busy time with the cutting, turning and drying of the crop as tractors and balers cross-crossed the fields. Not least has been the activity from the red kites and other birds that have been clearing up the carrion left by the machinery – the low-flying kites are remarkable to watch, with their beautiful plumage and skilled aerial acrobatics a fascinating sight. 

Lammas goes back to Old Testament times when the Hebrews celebrated the start of harvest by bringing the first fruits to be blessed. This happened during Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks – usually in late May or early June, which is when the wheat harvest in Israel occurs. Shavuot also marked the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai, when the Jews waited so long for Moses’ return that their milk turned to cheese and cheesecake and cheese-filled pancakes became traditional Shavuot foods. The first fruits come in many forms, with the Jews also seeing themselves and their lives as the first fruits of God’s harvest, echoed by St Paul when writing of the resurrection, ‘For now is Christ risen, the first fruits of those who have died.’ 1 Corinthians15:20. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of a rich farmer who decides to pull down his barns and build bigger ones to store the abundant harvest his land had produced – yet he dies that night. He was fortunate in being wealthy and planning for the future is wise, but the farmer seemed only to be concerned with his own needs and not those of anyone else. Jesus uses the story to warn those who are not rich towards God or generous to others that our lives and possessions are not for ourselves alone but for those in need too. The offering of the first fruits to be blessed was a sign of the fruitfulness of fields and lives as well as a thanksgiving to be shared by the whole community which was not to be taken for granted – and it still is! 

With my prayers; pob bendith,Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, Luke 11:1-13. 

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?” Corrie Ten Boom.

Today’s Gospel reading begins with Jesus at prayer and something about this makes one of the disciples ask him to teach them how to pray. They have presumably seen him pray many times and begun to understand how central prayer is to Jesus, who then teaches them what is now known as the Lord’s Prayer. He tells them to call God by the familiar name of Abba, Father, to honour his name and to pray for his will to shape our lives and world. Jesus also tells them to ask for daily needs to be met, the forgiveness of sins and the avoidance of temptation as well as protection from danger. Two stories then follow: first, that of the persistent friend and then about asking. These say much about prayer itself.

In the first parable, a friend goes to his neighbour at midnight and asks him for three loaves of bread as a guest has arrived and he has nothing to give him. It may seem that, at such a late hour, it’s a cheek to wake up a neighbour and that it’s no surprise when the neighbour angrily tells him not to bother him. However, in those days, hospitality was fundamental and a neighbour would be expected to help supply what was needed no matter when that happened – it’s not the neighbour asking who is behaving badly but the one who’s refusing to help him and ignoring what was seen as a social obligation. Eventually, when the neighbour who needs bread refuses to give up, his insistence pays off and what’s needed is given in order to stop the nuisance. Perseverance is rewarded!

The second story about prayer suggests that, just as a caring parent will give their children what they need, so God will give even more to those who come to him. Jesus invites his followers to ask, seek and knock – just like that persistent neighbour – and to bring their requests and hopes to God in prayer. Just as the neighbour is implored for bread, which is eventually supplied, so Jesus tells his followers to bring these practical needs to God too, in the hope that they will also be answered.

So, Jesus encourages his followers to be persistent in prayer and develop a personal trust in God akin to that of a good parent/child relationship. He suggests that prayer will be answered, but as those who pray often discover, this will not always be in the time or way expected and sometimes prayer will not be fulfilled, for reasons which may only become clear much later on. As Randy Smith puts it: “If the….blessings we desire were always and immediately given at our request, God would become nothing more than a slot machine….and our prayers would become meaningless tokens mechanically fed into an apparatus….with which we have no relationship.” Part of being a good parent is saying no to protect or enable learning and perseverance – might it be that difficulties with prayer sometimes develop because it is unoffered rather than unanswered?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 10:38-42.

‘This is of exceptional national significance.’ Guto, on behalf of the University of Wales.

Serendipity, co-incidence, God incidence: at times, things can happen with a similarity that may seem to resonate in an unexpected way. That happened this week at St Melangell’s when news came of a gravestone of national significance which dates from 1699 and is in the churchyard here. It’s a monologue to his dead wife by the deceased person, referencing the Biblical story of sisters Mary and Martha, and may be linked to an educated family of priests with the surname Thomas who were known to live in the parish at that time. This, in a week 326 years later, in which someone with that surname is staying in the Shepherd’s Hut and read the Gospel of the same two sisters! 

Guto has been in touch to provide the information that the gravestone’s inscription is in seventeenth century Welsh and reads :

MEGIS MAIR DDIWAIR

OEDD ARA

DYWYSEN

DEWISAIS RAN

IOWNDDA

TRWY YMWRTHOD

TRO MARTHA

FORWYN DDOE-

-TH I FARW YN DD and translates as 

LIKE FAITHFUL MARY (WHO WAS A GRACEFUL BUD/EAR OF CORN) I MADE THE EXCELLENT CHOICE (BY REJECTING MARTHA’S TURN) OF A WISE MAIDEN, TO DIE WELL.

The memorial is important as its form is the englyn unodl union, which is fundamental to Welsh bardic tradition, and it is apparently one of the very earliest englynion beddau, or strict metre poetry on graves. There are over 27,000 of these worldwide and Guto writes that this ‘is of huge significance because this is a clever, inventive and masterly englyn, evidence of the survival of the inheritors of the medieval bardic order.’ Thanks to Guto for this and further information which will soon be published through the University of Wales Press. 

It’s interesting to note that, in 1699, the reference to faithful Mary seems to praise her whereas Martha’s example is rejected. In the story, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to him, which would normally be the practice of men only, and she was bold in doing this. Martha, in turn, becomes annoyed, chiding Jesus for not getting Mary to help her with the work that needs doing and suggesting he doesn’t care about Martha. Jesus tells her that she is worried and distracted by many things, whereas Mary has chosen to spend time with him – the difficulty with this is that Mary may be making time for Jesus at Martha’s expense. In those days, the provision of hospitality was a priority and perhaps Martha’s concern is about doing this alone. Is that what’s made her anxious? Some may agree that Mary has chosen well and others may have sympathy for Martha with so much to do on her own.

However, if hospitality is her concern, Martha also breaks the rules – just as Mary does by sitting with men – when she complains to Jesus, dragging him into a domestic dispute and possibly causing embarrassment to all present. In suggesting that she’s distracted, Jesus may be indicating that Martha is being pulled in many directions and not truly living in the present moment with her guest. Perhaps that’s why he says that Mary has chosen the better part – she is giving Jesus her full attention while he is in her home. 

There are many things in life that may distract and worry us, diverting us from giving proper attention to what is happening like Martha, just as there may be times when we are able to spend time listening to the voice of Jesus like Mary. Prayer and work, rest and responsibilities – all are needed at different times and for various reasons. Perhaps the challenge lies in the balance of the two for laborare est orare, orare est laborare: to work is to pray and to pray is to work. 

That applies as much in 2025 as it did in 1699 and in the choices made down the years, whether by those now at rest or alive today. For the challenge to give attention to Jesus and to find peace and hope in the face of so much that could worry or distract us continues, whatever the demands and joys of our own situations. Perhaps 1699 and 2025 are not so far apart as we sometimes think!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.