News and reflections

This is the 800th anniversary of the death of Francis of Assisi, whose life and example so greatly influenced the Jesuit Pope Francis that he chose his name for his papacy. It seems fitting, then, that today’s reflection is by local Franciscan Carolle Doyle – thanks to her for it.

800 years ago on the 3rd of October 1226 St Francis passed from this world into eternal life in the Umbrian town of Assisi where he had been born 44 years before. Surrounded by his Franciscan brothers he sang his Canticle of the Creatures praising God and all creation. The ‘creatures’ were Brother Sun and Sister Moon and as he lay dying he added a final stanza praising Sister Death.

This short account of his life begins with Francis as a young man when he was far from being a saint. Born into a wealthy family in Assisi Francis was loved by all spending his father’s money freely and giving alms to the poor but he had a weakness, he was afraid of lepers and would turn away and hold his nose if a leper approached. His greatest ambition was to become a knight and fight the young men of Perugia but before he could strike a blow he was captured and thrown into a dungeon and there he stayed until his father ransomed him.

Imprisonment changed Francis. He returned to Assisi praying that all that was bitter to him should become sweet and God granted his request for Francis met a leper and they embraced sharing the kiss of peace. In that moment the world turned upside down for Francis. He discovered the ruined church of St. Damiano with its painted cross and then the figure on the cross spoke to him. ‘Francis, rebuild my church.’

So the first order, the Brothers Minor was formed followed by the second order, the Poor Clares. In imitation of Christ’s disciples the brothers travelled and preached and it was by coming to a village and preaching that the third order for lay people was created when everyone in the village wished to follow the saint.

Perhaps Francis’s most famous sermon was given to the birds his ‘sweet little sisters, birds of the sky who are bound to heaven, to God your creator in every beat of your wings’. This is the Francis we most easily identify with. He is the Francis who devised the world’s very first crib service in a cave overlooking the little town of Greccio where it is still held every year. But the sweetness of the idea was borne out of a profound desire to imitate Christ.

In 1219 during the fifth crusade he travelled to Egypt and entered the fortified city of the Sultan Malik al-Kamil where he stayed for many months as an honoured guest. Here, surely, amongst the Sufi advisors of the Sultan he took inspiration for the ‘Praises of God’ recited by every Franciscan at every Eucharist.

In 1224 he fasted for 40 days on the mountain retreat of La Verna and there he received the stigmata. He drew closer to God and to Christ at La Verna but St Clare, who never took her spiritual eyes off Francis, persuaded him to follow Christ in loving service to mankind and continue preaching.

Before passing Francis blessed his brothers in words that are as comforting today as they were 800 years ago. In his words, ‘I bless you all in my life and after my death as much as I can and more than I can. May the Lord be with you always and may he grant that you may always be with Him.’

Today’s service was taken by Christopher Belk, a worship leader, and this reflection has been written by him, based of the set readings. Thanks to him for doing this.

Ezekiel 18, 1-4; 25-32; Matthew 21, 23-32; “Sour Grapes”

One of the most famous stories in Aesop’s fables is about the fox who saw a bunch of grapes and tried very hard to get them down, but after jumping a good few times he couldn’t reach them, and went away saying “Oh well, I guess they were sour anyway”. We use “sour grapes” nowadays  to talk down someone or something which we have failed to get or live up to. For instance, a student might have set his or her heart on a particular university course, and then be refused a place: afterwards he or she might be rather pleased to hear criticism of the professor concerned.

In our OT reading God quotes as a proverb: “the parents have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. Presumably “sour grapes” of some sort was a well-known saying by around 600 BC. Aesop lived around the same time as Ezekiel, if not a bit earlier. However, Aesop’s fable says nothing about children’s teeth, and the moral in Ezekiel is not quite the same. After all, the fox never actually ate the grapes.

What God seems to be saying to Ezekiel is that we are too ready to excuse bad behaviour by people who had a bad upbringing, or other challenging circumstances or disappointments. In a similar way, how often do we hear politicians saying everything is the fault of the previous government, and how often indeed do we all  look for any way of blaming someone else for our misfortunes, parents and governments included,  and doing what we can to discredit them . Often that is called seeking justice, but a lot of it is just sour grapes, like for the fox. If God does not agree with us then he is being unfair.

We are also too ready to think good behaviour has God’s approval so any minor imperfections in a good person will be overlooked. How often at funerals do we hear how wonderful someone was, so that must be enough to get them to heaven. If it doesn’t, then God is being unfair again.

The logic of what God says in Ezekiel seems to be that only someone’s last actions count – whoever they were:  if they finished well it is OK, if they didn’t it isn’t. Sounds like a bit of a lottery to put it mildly: it would be a rash thing to claim perfect behaviour at any time, and what about someone who dies suddenly? The key surely  is in the last verse, where God  says “Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit”. He is not so concerned about actual actions as about the spirit behind them. Someone who is truly seeking God can be excused a lot: someone who only seeks self-justification is missing the plot. Adam and Eve’s original sin was not so much in eating the forbidden apple as in preferring their own decision over their relationship to God.

The whole OT is a history of how God was inviting his people back into the relationship which had been lost, and also the history of how people almost always tried to find the way through actions rather than the right spirit. All sorts of actions were thought to be needed, typically the temple sacrifices. For a Jew, last Sunday was Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Nowadays Jews keep this by fasting and repentance:, in Leviticus there was the ritual of the “scapegoat” where the High Priest laid hands on a goat symbolising everyone’s  sins and the goat was then driven off into the desert.  

That is not nowadays practical, but it forms a picture or preview of what Jesus has done in dying for the whole world. If you read the book of Hebrews you will find a detailed exposition of this parallel. There is nothing we can do ourselves to wipe out the fact that, however you define sin, and however good we think we are, we are and have been less close to God and one another than we were created to be. Despite either ancient or modern rituals, there is no ritual or action of ours which can fully atone for that; as Jesus quoted, the most important commandment is to love God wholeheartedly and love your neighbour. So Christians accept and believe that God has himself taken on the task of full atonement (at-one-ment) as a free gift to those who accept Jesus as their Saviour. The hymn To God be the Glory, great things he has done celebrates that.

So now let’s look at our gospel reading from Matthew. When the Pharisees asked Jesus a simple question, on whose authority was he doing miracles, why did Jesus not on that occasion simply tell them he had God’s authority? Instead he asked them a question in turn; what did they think of John the Baptist? He was, I think, testing their spirit. If they had had the sort of spirit that God requires, then they would have been happy to recognise the spirit in which both John and Jesus operated. As it was, they preferred their own so-called wisdom, even when that human wisdom alone could not give a straight answer. Jesus knew that any further discussion was useless – they were not genuinely seeking God. Whatever they were really after they didn’t get it; they just hated and condemned Jesus: sour grapes!

I think often we need to adopt the same approach to theological discussion – you can soon tell what spirit is behind questions people ask about Jesus. Arguing from a purely human viewpoint will get us nowhere, and it can be best not to start arguing at all. The Holy Spirit within us will, if we ask him, help us to discern the spirit in which a question is asked.

”The Kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground…when the grain is ripe…the harvest has come.” Jesus, in Mark 4:26-29.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people then just feed one.” Mother Teresa. 

Donations from Harvest Festival this year are in support of the Oswestry and Borders Food Bank, part of Trussell, the Christian Charity that supports around 1,400 food bank locations, many run by churches. Formerly known as the Trussell Trust, it was founded in 1997 by Paddy and Carol Henderson using a financial legacy left by Carol’s mother, Betty Trussell. At first, the money was used to help street children sleeping at Sofia Central Railway Station in Bulgaria but in 2000, the charity began work in the UK and was contacted for help by a family in Salisbury so their first food bank began there.

How to feed those who are unable to feed themselves is a concern the world over for many different reasons but in Britain around 1 in 7 people faces hunger and is unable to manage on social security in the face of the rising cost of living although the UK is the fifth richest country in the world. Last year, 760,000 people contacted a food bank for the first time in addition to those already using them but as the need increases, donations are diminishing due to the difficulty so many have in making ends meet currently. Despite this, Trussell gave out nearly three million food parcels in the last financial year – the highest amount ever and more than double the number five years ago. Now, many of the food banks and their volunteers are themselves under increasing pressure and running on reserves as they try to cope with the need for their services. Food banks are a lifeline but not the solution and as Mother Teresa suggested, there may be smaller practical ways in which support can be offered in local communities, whether or not through a food bank.

Trussell has published the comments of John, who came to Hope Baptist Church in Somerset: “I felt welcomed, a peace and calm… The church offers more than to pick up your parcel and go, you are offered a cup of tea or, if preferred, are welcome to make one yourself. There is also a garden to rest in, or get stuck into – helping grow flowers, fresh fruit and veg. I noticed that people walking into Hope are not alone. I couldn’t tell the difference between those who were church members, volunteers and people receiving food. Some people are all three! Sitting and chatting, gardening together is as valuable as handing out parcels and issuing vouchers.”

In asking for help, donations and support, Trussell also asks for your prayers and has circulated various, amongst them this one taken from A prayer for the Tired, Angry Ones by Laura Jean Truman:

God… Grant us the vulnerability to risk loving our difficult and complicated neighbour, rejecting the lie that some people are made more in the image of God than others.

Keep our anger from becoming meanness.

Keep our sorrow from collapsing into self pity.

Keep our hearts soft enough to keep breaking.

Keep our outrage turned towards justice, not cruelty.

Remind us that all of this, every bit of it, is for love.

Keep us fiercely kind.

Amen.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” Jesus, in today’s gospel Matthew 18:15-20.

It “tells the story of the beginning of what I like to think of as the French side of my family’s history in these islands.” King Charles, viewing the Bayeux Tapestry.

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of disputes and how to overcome them. It’s perhaps unsurprising that there seems to be as much need for conflict resolution then as now, dating right back to the time of Moses. In Deuteronomy, Moses established that the evidence of two or three witnesses was required for capital punishment where necessary and Jesus also stipulates this, but now for exclusion rather than the death penalty. Various ways are suggested to try and solve disputes, ranging from talking with individuals to congregations being present and, if no resolution can be found, Jesus suggests that the wrongdoer should be treated like Gentiles and tax collectors. Usually, that would mean being treated like an outcast but, as he has reached out to those groups and Matthew himself was a former tax collector, it’s clear that there is still hope for reconciliation at some point in the future if not the present moment. Any exclusion would hopefully then be only temporary and the long view is sometimes necessary in families as well as churches, communities and nations.

At a time when there seems to be more conflict and division than ever before – or perhaps greater awareness of it through social media and telecommunications – one example of the longer view is the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in England for the first time in 1,000 years. It’s not actually a tapestry but a series of embroideries, probably created originally by English needlewomen in or near Canterbury. In telling the story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the death of King Harold and the invasion of England by the French, it seems that memories of some conflicts run very deep. For at the Battle of Normandy in 1944, nearly nine hundred years later, many of those killed during it were laid to rest in the Bayeux War Cemetery and carved along the memorial to the war dead are the words Nos a guilielmo victi victoris patriam liberavimus meaning, We, once conquered by William, have now set free the Conqueror’s native land. In viewing the Tapestry at the British Museum this week, King Charles called its loan “the best possible symbol” of relations between England and France, and even referred to “the French side of my family”, being a direct descendent of William. With President Macron present, it seems that relationships that, at times over the centuries have been very frosty, are now improving if not yet entirely (entente) cordial(e).

That stems in part from difficulties in agreeing how to handle the numbers of immigrants trying to cross the Channel in small boats which are increasingly becoming larger boats with greater risk. Some scenes in the Bayeux Tapestry show William’s troops arriving at Pevensey beach in a fleet of 37 wooden ships and smaller boats with horses, weapons and supplies aboard. Nearly nine centuries later, boats are still coming from France to Britain’s shores with many of them bearing illegal immigrants and the complexities of dealing with this are severe, as shown by the disruption caused at the Port of Dover yesterday by those protesting about them. Equally, there are those who support their arrival – what might Jesus have recommended for this particular conflict resolution?!

It’s perhaps tempting to think that all this is far removed from our daily lives but here, there is a constant reminder in the church. Originally wooden, the stone church which now exists was constructed in the Romanesque or Norman style which became so significant a sign of that era as seen in so many places such as Norwich Castle or Durham Cathedral. It’s unlikely that the Normans had much to do with this remote Welsh church but their influence is clear, not just in architecture but in other ways such as the law, land ownership as shown in the Domesday Book, language development and the different food the Normans brought with them.

One of the issues surrounding the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry is the noting of two damaged threads which could have occurred on either side of the Channel as it travelled. In days gone by, repairs were often carried out by darning, a word which may have originated from dern meaning hidden and used so that a well-darned hole would not be noticed. Darn it! can also used as an unrelated form of damn it! As conflicts and benefits across the centuries and generations are highlighted with the arrival of the Tapestry and the ongoing focus on the Normans, what response could be made to those coming to these shores today? It’s clear that battles, conflict and wars of words are still ongoing – are the words of Jesus still relevant to the issues and relationships?Could repairs or reconstruction be made? And what should be done with any damaged thread depicting events and relationships in the tapestry of our own lives? Nothing, other than note it? Darn it as in damn it? Or darn it as in mend it? Might a stitch in time save more than nine?!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

This reflection is not on the Gospel set for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity as the service of reflection for today is a Songs of Praise for Bank Holiday. Those present were asked to choose chose a hymn, song or poem that meant a lot to them and to say why that was the case.  The word hymn comes from the Greek word hymnos, songs of praise originally written in honour of their gods, and in the beautiful setting here of the Berwyns, the foothills of Snowdonia, songs of praise seemed appropriate – although thoughts of Nepal and the troubled places of the world were never far away. 

One of the earliest known songs of praise is the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:1-18, 

praising God for the safe passage of the Israelites through the Red or Reed Sea when the waters rolled back, and this is echoed by the Song of Miriam, Aaron’s sister, and the women with her who used tambourines to sing and praise God. The Song of Deborah in Judges 5 and the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 also praise God, with the Book of Psalms containing 150 Israelite hymns and prayers written by various authors, King David amongst them. 1 Chronicles 16 suggests that harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets were also used to sing God’s praises before the ark of the covenant. 

That ancient tradition was continued in the New Testament where Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1 is a song of praise linked with Hannah’s and Matthew writes that Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn – probably one of Psalms 113-118 – at the Last Supper (26:30). St Paul suggested that followers should, “with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God” (Col. 3:16). What the early church continued from the Old Testament was then developed as the Way spread and the tradition of plainsong began to evolve, usually sung by monks and nuns until the development of the printing press led to access to the words and music for all worshippers. 

Luther later encouraged his congregations to sing and music began to flourish in places of worship although Cromwell banned church organs and many were destroyed. At the Restoration in the late seventeenth century, so few remained that minstrel galleries appeared in churches as local musicians started to play other instruments instead. This lead to a diversity of music, styles and theology developed by later hymn writers such as Isaac Watts, the Wesleys and John Henry Newman. A wonderful array of hymns and songs developed to cheer or console worshippers, often accompanied by thought-provoking theology as well as tuneful melodies and harmonies.

Here in Wales, one of the most popular hymns is Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah, which written by William Williams who was known as the poet laureate of the Welsh Revival. He was an itinerant preacher for 43 years, thought to travel an average of 2230 miles a year round the whole of Wales when transport was difficult, hence seeing himself as ‘pilgrim through this barren land’. ‘Just as I am’ was written in 1834 by Charlotte Bingham who sometimes felt she was of little use because of her disability and wrote the hymn as a statement of hope and faith which appealed to so many others that it was later published in The Invalid’s Hymn Book. The term invalid would be deemed unacceptable today, although the hymn was used by Billy Graham in his rallies, and so is Onward Christian soldiers, thought by some to be a military hymn but actually written for school children to sing whilst marching to a neighbouring village. Its author, Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, wrote, “Nothing has surprised me more than its great popularity” although part of the reason for this in America was thought to be the recent Civil War.  

Today, there are many wonderful hymns and songs of praise and the way God is praised and honoured reflects the times in which we live and the backgrounds of their writers and composers. The point of all of them is reflected in James Montgomery’s traditional hymn from 1819, Songs of Praise the Angels sang, with its final verse serving as a reminder still to give God the glory and sing his praise:

‘Hymns of glory, songs of praise,

Father unto thee we raise.

Jesu, glory unto thee,

With the Spirit ever be.’

With my prayers, pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

”Who do people say that the Son of Man is?….. who do you say I am?” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Matthew 16:13-20

“Do you know who …. I am? I am the heavyweight champion of the world!” Boxer Mike Tyson to a stranger interrupting him assaulting the model Naomi Campbell.

“And I am the former Wykeham Professor of Logic. We are both pre-eminent in our field; I suggest we talk about this like rational men.” The philosopher Sir Alfred Jules Ayer, in reply.

There were two thought-provoking responses to last week’s reflection about Jesus’ conversation with a Canaanite woman, both of which I found very helpful. The first asked whether Jesus’s ‘dog’ reference was as much a challenge to the disciples, mirroring their own prejudice about the Canaanite woman, while he tested her mettle. The second suggested that Jesus’ initial silence may also have been directed towards the twelve disciples for boxing out a woman with a spiritual insight that they had not yet grasped themselves. Those comments changed my view of the encounter between Jesus, the unnamed woman and his disciples and made far more sense than my own much more limited interpretation – my thanks to those two writers for their spiritual insights that I had not yet grasped!

However, today’s reflection involves a spiritual insight from Peter which draws a profound response from Jesus. This happens in the gospel which begins with the genealogy of Jesus – although I once heard it mistakenly read as the gynaecology of Jesus! – in which the human ancestors of Jesus are listed by Matthew. Amongst them are prophets, murderers, prostitutes, women of noble birth, ne’er do wells and kings, ending with his earthly father Joseph, whose name, family and heritage were given to Jesus. Matthew begins by calling Jesus the Son of David, reflecting his royal status, and the Son of Abraham, indicating Israelite descent. But, in today’s Gospel, Jesus begins by asking his disciples who people say the Son of Man is, a term used in the Psalms and by the prophet Ezekiel to mean a human being. Daniel the prophet used it in a vision to indicate divine authority and Jesus also applied it many times of himself. As he questions his disciples, they reply that some think that the Son of Man might be John the Baptist, others Elijah and some Jeremiah or a prophet – there is no agreement and all those named are dead. But when Jesus asks who they think he is, Peter speaks for them and bursts out with “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” At last, he realises Jesus’ true identity – and Jesus blesses him for it. What a contrast with last week’s gospel, where silence and shortsightedness seemed to prevail in so many ways!

This is the first time that ‘Messiah’ is used of Jesus and Simon Peter is also named Peter as he speaks for the disciples in the revelation he has glimpsed whilst they remain quiet. It’s also the first time that the church is mentioned, when Jesus uses Peter’s answer and decision as the rock on which it is founded. Jesus then says that nothing, not even the gates of Hades the realm of the dead, will prevail against it, telling Peter that he will be given the keys of heaven and that whatever he binds or sets free on earth will be so in heaven. Jesus also tells Peter that his insight has come from God and, because of this, gives authority to him as Peter wrestles with Jesus’ identity, then realises and trusts who he is. The same can sometimes be true for us in the struggles or perhaps flashes of insight that life and faith may present us with today as we are also entrusted by Jesus with outreach in his and our world now. 

Despite the many failings of the church, it is clearly part of Jesus’ plan – which may hearten those who, today, doubt its future. The church stretches back over the centuries, like Matthew’s genealogy, founded not just on Peter’s confession but on the lives and examples of all those who have shaped it through prayer, persecution, hope and questioning. If the identity and example of some of them seems dubious, that may echo some of the characters cited by Matthew who nevertheless fulfilled God’s purposes in his genealogy of Jesus.But it all began with Jesus’ question which is asked of us today in the mission entrusted to us as well as those disciples then: “Who do you say I am?” 

How is our response lived out in our faith and daily lives?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Jesus in today’s Gospel, Matthew 15:21-28.

“Racism in academia is a fact of life and must be addressed.” Paul Boateng, on the death of Jason Arday, a former professor at Cambridge University.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has left Galilee and gone to Tyre and Sidon, a place where Gentiles live and he is an outsider. Perhaps he was doing this to have some time to himself, having left the crowds behind, but Jesus is interrupted by a Canaanite woman who persists in asking him to heal her daughter. This nameless woman represents ancient divisions and enmities with the Jews but although custom dictated that they should be separate, she approaches Jesus and his male disciples without hesitation, respectfully addressing him as, “Lord, Son of David.” That Messianic title is one that his own disciples have not yet used for Jesus, but this female Gentile stranger seems to grasp his identity more readily than they do.

As she does this, Jesus at first says nothing. Perhaps he was obeying the rules of separation, taking time to think or embarrassed by what was happening – maybe, even hoping she would just go away! Matthew writes that the woman was shouting, imploring Jesus to help her daughter – to the extent that his disciples tell him to send her away because she’s shouting after them too. Jesus then says that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel – he sees his ministry as being specifically to the Jews – but the woman kneels before him. Humbling herself, recognising Jesus’ authority in this way and desperate as any parent might be for their child’s sake, she simply says, “Lord, help me.”

However, this direct plea receives an unsettling reply from one who has previously urged his followers to love their enemy as well as their neighbour (Matthew 5:43,44). Jesus tells the Canaanite woman that the children’s food should not be taken from them and thrown to the dogs, a disrespectful and racist term sometimes used by Jews for Gentiles, at which she could have taken offence. However, her courteous and clever riposte is that dogs eat even the crumbs that fall from the table – with which I can identify, as my dog recently snatched food from my plate while I was answering the phone, snaffling not just crumbs but most of my meal! The woman accepts her lowly status and is hopeful of just receiving the leftovers which those at the table don’t want. She doesn’t try to deter his ministry to the Jews but rather to extend it to her for the sake of her daughter. The woman’s persistence and repartee break through the religious and cultural differences between them and Jesus praises her for her faith, her daughter then being instantly healed.

A woman and a Gentile who was even a Canaanite, one of the traditional enemies of the Jews – who would have thought that she would be the person who challenged Jesus to interpret his ministry more widely? Perhaps this encounter is at the heart of the later Great Commission when Jesus entrusts his ministry to his followers and tells them to make disciples of all nations and not just the house of Israel (28:19). His words to the Canaanite woman and final instructions to the disciples before leaving them still challenge Jesus’ followers today to look beyond the boundaries and restrictions, which can confine expectations and hopes, and to consider wider ways of overcoming racism, injustice and enmity. Doing so may seem intimidating or futile so we can be heartened by the example of that courageous Canaanite woman who differed so greatly from Jesus and yet found and extended God’s healing grace because of her persistence and need. Today, there may be situations in our own families and lives where our faith and persistence is also needed and could make a positive difference. Or maybe that’s coming from a different, perhaps even unlikely, source that we might struggle to even want to accept. Perhaps, then the example of the nameless Canaanite who made such a difference to the ministry of Jesus that day might hearten us as we consider the divisions and hopes of our own situations or those in the news. If that seems unlikely, then perhaps our prayer today could echo hers: “Lord, help me.”

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

“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 14:22-33.

“Water is the softest of all things, yet it is the most powerful.” Wayne Dyer, author. 

Today’s Gospel follows immediately after Jesus seeking time alone on hearing of the death of John the Baptist but not finding it because of his compassion on the crowds following him, which results in the feeding of 5,000 men as well as the women and children with them. His second cousin’s beheading after imprisonment, the miracle that has just taken place and the growing attention of Herod and the Pharisees mean that Jesus has much to ponder. There is a sense of urgency about his need for this as Matthew writes that Jesus now immediately dismisses the crowds and makes the disciples go ahead of him by boat to the other side of the lake while he goes up the mountain to pray alone.

Perhaps leaving him perplexed the disciples, who may have been agog after what has happened and their involvement in the feeding of so many people, but they do not have a good journey. They were experienced fishermen and used to the sudden storms that can arise on the Sea of Galilee, yet Matthew writes that their boat was far from land, being battered by the waves and that the wind was against them. It seems that Jesus was in prayer for many hours as it’s in the third watch of the night, between 3 and 6am, that they see suddenly him walking on the stormy waters – and it’s not the storm that then bothers them. The terrified disciples think they may be seeing a ghost and are so afraid that Jesus has to reassure them. Their fear is understandable – who can walk on water? 

Impetuously, Peter tries to as he asks Jesus to command him to come to him – “If it is you”. During his three temptations, Jesus was taunted at the start of each one with the words, “If you are the Son of God….” and so it seems that Peter is doubtful whether this really is Jesus and wants him to prove himself. Despite this Jesus bids him, “Come” and Peter steps out of the boat confidently, perhaps mindful of the earlier miracle. At first he’s able to walk on the waves but Peter’s fear overcomes him in the face of the strong wind and he begins to sink. All doubts are cast aside as he cries out, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus does so immediately. Peter’s prayer – just three words – contrasts with the flowery or lengthy prayers that can sometimes be offered so he has just enough time to pray directly and for Jesus to respond to his pressing need immediately. Perhaps we could and should follow Peter’s succinct example more often?!

Peter then lets his fear of the storm overwhelm and defeat him even though he has realised this is not a ghost when he calls Jesus ‘Lord’. It may seem harsh that Jesus then chides Peter for his lack of faith when he has found the courage to leave the boat whereas the other disciples remain fearfully within it but perhaps Peter was trying to reach Jesus through an act of will rather than trust. Nevertheless, Jesus answers his need and catches him as he comes to Peter’s rescue. As they both get into the boat, the wind ceases and all aboard realise that this is not just Jesus but the Son of God – and no ghost. 

Peter makes no mention of this elsewhere and neither does St Mark in his version of this event in chapter 6 of his Gospel. But perhaps this is something we may be familiar with in our own lives? Are there times when we have set out eagerly but become disheartened and failed to rise to the challenge? Perhaps we have had a sinking feeling that events aren’t unfolding as we had hoped? Maybe having to navigate the choppy waters of illness, loss and aging threatens to swamp us or we have fallen into the temptation of wondering if God can really be a part of our lives when the world is so dark and stormy in many ways today? 

It’s the anniversary today of the dropping of the second atomic bomb on the seaport of Nagasaki on 9th August 1945, so it’s also a day for remembering all those who did not survive the devastating storm cloud or have drowned in the course of warfare, fishing for a living or attempting rescue then and since. Perhaps, then, it’s helpful to notice that Jesus returns to his disciples during a storm, that he comes at the darkest time of the night just before dawn begins to break and that Peter’s brief prayer is immediately answered, despite his doubts. In the face of all that confronts us and the doubts we may have about faith, what three words could be chosen to form an urgent prayer today?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian

“You feed them.” Jesus, to his disciples, at the feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew 14:13-21.

“Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fishes and a loaf of bread. That’s not a miracle. That’s tapas.” Comedian Mark Nelson’s joke, 6th in the top 10 at the Edinburgh Festival in 2015. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has just heard of the terrible death of his cousin John the Baptist, who had done so much to prepare the way for him, and he withdraws to a deserted place to be on his own. However, the crowds follow him and, even in his grief and loss, Jesus has compassion for them and heals those who are sick. By evening, the disciples come to him to say that the crowds should be sent away as it’s late and there is nowhere to buy food. Jesus tells them that they should give them something to eat but there are only five loaves and two fish available. However, Jesus uses what he is given and, as he will do later at the last supper, he takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to the disciples who share the food with the crowd. Everyone has their fill, not just the 5,000 men noted but the women and children also them who are not counted – God’s generosity is actually greater than it may initially seem and there are even twelve full baskets left over. 

This life-enhancing provision contrasts sharply with the deathly platter on which the head of John the Baptist was served up at the king’s birthday celebration – Herod wants to diminish and kill but God provides plenteously and more than is actually needed. The baskets are often taken to indicate the twelve tribes of Israel and the origins from which Jesus came with the twelve disciples each having a basket, suggesting their future roles in carrying on Jesus’ ministry. Amidst what Matthew may symbolise is the poignancy of Jesus continuing what John had helped him to prepare for, despite his loss and perhaps in tribute to John.  

Food was a real issue in the time of Jesus with the poor often finding it in short supply or affected by circumstances including the weather, as indicated by the petition in the Lord’s Prayer to ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Today, the same still applies and, in the ongoing time of drought and heatwave in the UK and elsewhere, this year’s grain yields are much lower than usual which may affect bread and cereal production. Potatoes, sprouts and parsnips are also being impacted, which may diminish later crops at a time when many farmers are already having to use their winter silage now as there is so little grass for their animals to eat. And it’s not only food production: here, the spring is still running low due to so little rain and we are having to use bottled water for drinking and water from the stream for other purposes – and now the river is becoming very low with little rain still forecast. 

“You feed them.” Jesus challenged his disciples then to do what they could to provide for those around and what they had to hand may have seemed completely inadequate but became more than sufficient when God’s grace was sought. Perhaps the drought and heatwaves are showing us in new ways that water and food is precious and, in these changing times, they need to be shared with greater care than may previously have been the case. That applies to the food manufacturers and water companies with their policies and controversial practices too! Jesus healed the sick and also fed the crowds who came to him, giving food for the soul as well as the body. The challenge remains as we remember how Jesus met the needs of those around him and that his followers are also charged to provide for and share with those around them today. 

“You feed them.” 

How ?

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Jesus, in John 14:6.

“There’s no need to do the Camino when the UK has trails to suit pilgrims of all spiritual persuasions and walking abilities.” Oliver Smith, in the Sunday Times 28.6.2026.

Yesterday was the feast of James the Great, the patron saint of Spain and the first of the disciples to be martyred although he was the second of them to die, after Judas Iscariot. King Herod Agrippa I had him put to the sword – probably beheaded – in AD 44, possibly due to James’ fiery temper which, along with his brother John, lead to them being called ‘the Sons of Thunder’. 

The apostle’s remains are now thought to be in the shrine at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela because James took the gospel to Spain where, exhausted and disheartened by a lack of converts, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary in AD 40. This was remarkable as it happened while Mary was still alive and is her first recorded appearance. She comforted James and asked him to build a small chapel which later evolved into the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza. James then returned to Judea but, following his martyrdom, his body was taken back to Spain where, in 1492, the Camino de Santiago was declared by Pope Alexander VI to be one of the three great Christian pilgrimages, the others being Jerusalem and Rome.

Today, hundreds of thousands of people follow the Camino, the Way which is a network of cycling and walking routes to the Cathedral. It’s an impressive building, noted for many things, one of which is the Botafumeiro – a thurible or incense burner, traditionally  used to indicate prayers rising to heaven. However, the overwhelming body odour of the many pilgrims crowding into the Cathedral at the end of a lengthy pilgrimage was unbearable and so the Botafumeiro had the practical purpose of also being an air freshener! At 1.6m or 5.2 feet high and weighing 80kg or 180 lb, it uses 40kg or 88lb of charcoal and incense, with eight tiraboleiros needed to pull the ropes to start it moving as it swings across the Cathedral at speeds of up to 80km or 50mph. When I was there, it was so near our heads that many people ducked, although there was no actual danger other than the smoke and fragrance pouring out, making some people cough.

What a contrast with St Melangell’s, the destination of Pererindod Melangell, one route for a pilgrimage to the Shrine Church. Rather than the grandeur of the Cathedral, the church here is simple and remote, housing the restoration of what is the earliest surviving Romanesque Shrine in Britain, dating from the 12th century. Many pilgrims from differing backgrounds and varying faith traditions have made their way here, which is today designated by Oliver Smith to be “one of the most beautiful British pilgrimage destinations” – further details from hello@britishpilgrimage.org

St James, so discouraged during his time In Spain before he had his vision of Mary, did as she requested and built a small chapel where this happened – the first to be dedicated to Mary. He could not have known of the Basilica which developed later, but tradition suggests that he did regain the courage to go to his death with bravery and hope. Perhaps there are times for all of us when we may feel disheartened for a variety of reasons or may find that what we thought was a holy experience turns out to have very down to earth with practical implications like the Botafumeiro. Wherever our Way through life leads us, and whether we may or may not profess faith, places like Compostela or Pennant Melangell and the many other holy places the world over may widen our horizons and enable a vision to become a reality. As Oliver Smith writes, “Even those who struggle to believe in the words of a book can, it seems, draw lessons from the physical path unfurling before them.” 

What is unfurling before us today?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.