REFLECTION FOR JULY 2012

AN ANNOUNCEMENT!          

With the help of a patient friend I have set up a BLOG and you will find my MONTHLY REFLECTIONS on it. The BLOG ADDRESS is:

                                   petermillarreflects.blogspot.co.uk

The August Reflection will be the last one circulated in this present form. After  August I hope that you will remain receiving the Reflections through this BLOG.

Following last month’s reflection on Coping with Illness I received several responses. Many of these messages were very moving and brought home just how many of us are facing illness of one kind or another. These messages also reminded me of  those who daily care for those who carry weakness and pain in their bodies. That support is surely is “a work of love” - a work of God.

THE WISOM OF THE DALAI LAMA

Recently I had the privilege  of listening to the Dalai Lama during his visit to Edinburgh. The Usher Hall, one of the largest concert halls in the city, was packed with people of all ages. After his talk, young people from local schools asked him many questions. He also presented an award for compassion to a 17 year old Edinburgh school pupil who has done much to raise awareness about schizophrenia from which her mother suffers.

Some Christians feel that we cannot learn anything from other religious traditions. For me that only leads to a real impoverishment of the soul, and the years I spent in India, a country where several faith traditions exist side by side,  gave me a great appreciation of other pathways to the divine: to a deeper spiritual awareness and understanding. The late and much mourned Bede Griffiths, one of the great spiritual voices of our time, was right when he said that living in India had allowed him to discover “the other half of his soul.”

I have always admired the Dalai Lama. For  70 years he has been in public life:

he has endured all kinds of human sorrow and for decades been harshly condemned by one of the largest nations on earth, yet he remains a man of extraordinary compassion, humour, wisdom and light. No wonder that in our often spiritually bankrupt western countries, thousands flock to listen to his words and to be inspired by his example of selfless love. He does not preach, but makes clear we  share the quest for a more compassionate humanity.

Throughout the world, The Dalai Lama, although himself a Buddhist, addresses the fundamental question of a secular ethic for modern societies. A question also addressed today by Christian theologians such as Hans Kung in Germany. Such an ethic is concerned with these questions. How do we live  with moral values, with compassion, with a greater awareness of our inter-connectedness in a world which is often subject to, if not controlled by technology? 

He does not speak in the abstract, or in terms of doctrine. He begins with where we are as humans: often bewildered; often seeking to do good but in that very doing being misunderstood; often under stress in our personal relationships; often carrying various forms of grief; often afraid of the future; often blaming some kind of god for what goes wrong; often falling into addiction because reality may be too harsh to face. 

Given all these many voices clamouring for attention in our minds, the Dalai Lama says that “mindfulness” is therefore crucial. Being aware of the moment and of what that moment holds. Not the past, nor the future, but this present time which may carry within it both joy and sorrow, pain and laughter. As we say in the Christian tradition, “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Not in some other day - but in this day. This moment, this hour.  The only moment of which we are actually aware. 

And in this present moment can we encounter reality with a mind which is not constantly wavering and restless, but rather accepting the moment for what it is - a time to live wisely and fully? To accept our vulnerability along with our strengths. To live calmly with the fact that life is short and that much of it is a mystery. To be able to be joyful knowing that we have many more questions than answers and that as Richard Holloway says in his latest book “Leaving Alexandria” that the opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty. 

Along with my Bible, I also read a little of  the wisdom of Buddhism, the path upon which the Dalai Lama has trod for seventy years with such amazingly joy-filled faithfulness. In a part of the Buddha’s teachings we read this:

Cast off selfishness, false desire, hatred and greed but cherish faith, watchfulness, energy, contemplation and vision.

As we look around at the world it would be a truly impoverished soul who did not discover both wisdom and challenge in such words. And wise souls in every religious tradition enable us to grow spiritually and to live serenely. That is why the One who holds us all put them in our midst on earth, not just in heaven!

REFLECTION FOR MARCH 2012

MEDITATION IN LENT: WE ARE NOT ALONE.

In 2010 a close friend gave me a copy of James Roose-Evans book, FINDING SILENCE - 52 Meditations for Daily Living. The author, an Anglican priest, is a distinguished theatre director and the writer of many books. His home is in Wales. This book grows out of the work of a group he leads in London which meets regularly for meditation. It is one of many hundreds of such groups today, gathering in one another’s houses, transcending all differences of religion, colour, race and gender, as people increasingly seek a deeper meaning to their lives. For years, many Christians regarded any form of meditation as suspicious, but we are now awakening to its great strengths for the human spirit. My own conviction is that meditation can help us all to be more aware of God’s world around us, and within the uncertainties of our time, to live out each day with a degree of hopefulness and serenity.

In these weeks of Lent, I would like to share part of one his meditations. In the last months I have had many messages from people telling with me that they find their journey through life quite a lonely one. Most of us experience loneliness at some point in our life.  I know that since I lost my soul-mate Dorothy, eleven years ago, loneliness has been a companion - sometimes lurking in the shadows and at other times embracing me with force. ( Which is quite different from a strong hug!). In Lent we have time to pause and look at our lives. It may be a time when we are confronted by loneliness and inner fears in fresh ways. Often disturbing ways.  Roose-Evans in what follows speaks of both inner fear and loneliness. But he also reminds us of another reality in which I believe – that we are not travelling alone.

+++++ I count myself fortunate, strange though it may sound, that in my early seventies I had cancer of the thyroid. I was on my own at the time, as my partner was overseas. The fear was almost suffocating and yet I was glad to be on my own to deal with it. It was then that I learned, as the German poet Friedrich Holderlin expresses it that  ‘ where danger is, grows also the rescuing power.’ One night, at the peak of my fear, I awoke to hear an interior voice saying, ‘You are not alone. You have an angel working alongside you.’ From that moment the fear began to subside so that when I went in for the four-hour operation, not knowing whether I would be able to speak when I came out of it, for the vocal organs are perilously close to the thyroid, I was entirely without fear.

Who is to explain the origin of that voice? It is possible that it came from the unconscious, that repository of wisdom that lies beyond the intellect; but I do not discount that there may be angelic powers. In the Celtic tradition there is a strong sense that each of us has an invisible companion who walks the road of life with us, and one of the poverties of modern life is the loss of belief in such presences. The late John 0’Donohue, in Eternal Echoes, wrote of the Christian tradition which says that when we are sent here on earth a special angel is sent to accompany our every step, breath, thought and feeling. This is how he put it. ‘This is your guardian angel, who is right beside you, as near as your skin. You are not on your own. If you could see your path with the eyes of your soul, you would find that a luminous path and that there are two of you walking together. When loneliness or helplessness overcomes you, it is time to call on your angel for help and courage.’ It was only long after that I came across his book and when I reflected on the whole experience, I was moved to find those same words: You are not alone.++++

It is in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus confronted his own fear and loneliness and was comforted by an angel. It was in this garden that he was deserted by his closest friends who fell asleep, and it was here that he was betrayed. And it is sometimes when we feel overwhelmed by life that we too are comforted, not by another person but by an inner voice reminding us that we are held in God’s love.

For my own part I don’t think I will ever buy an angel to stick on my fridge door, although if you have one there don’t move it! But during the years I had the privilege of living on the island of Iona, I often thought about angels and about St Columba’s relationship with them. And it is a fact that in the Celtic church, the place of angels was important. These angels were guardians of the spirit, of the soul. The ones who guide our lives into good paths.

I know that someone, somewhere in the world reading this reflection will be feeling lonely, but I invite you to be still for a few moments and think about the beautiful words of the poet Johann Holderlin -  ‘ where danger is, grows also the rescuing power.’ That rescuing power could be an angel. One who watches over us in good times and in difficult times. A companion on the often rocky road of life, and one who understands.

Lord of each new day

you who knew loneliness

break into my loneliness

in ways that surprise me,

and just sometimes

let me hear

an angel’s

voice - or whisper!

*The book Finding Silence by James Roose-Evans, published by The History Press is available from Amazon. The ISBN no is 978 - 0 - 7524 – 5405 - 4 

 As we approach Easter which has such significance in the Christian tradition may we  continue to remember the many thousands of children, women and men of all faiths who are suffering so much on a daily basis in various parts of the world.  We mourn with those who have seen their loved ones brutally killed, and we think of those who occupy places of great power and who believe that their way of understanding the world is right.

     True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

                                                                                             - from a modern translation of Psalm 23.

         REFLECTION FOR APRIL 2012

 WORDS OF HOPE AT EASTER.

 Last Christmas a friend sent me a poem called ‘Sometimes’ by Sheenagh Pugh. Sheenagh’s interesting words resonated with me, and based on some of her lines, I have written these ‘words of hope’ for Easter.

 Sometimes, things after all don’t go from bad to worse;

Sometimes the sun shines bright through clouds;

Some years, green thrives, the crops don’t fail;

Sometimes, someone tenderly speaks the truth.

Sometimes, a nation steps back from war, works for peace,

and values human rights;

Sometimes, people forget themselves so that others may be free;

Some days, the goodness of a single life allows us all to see the beauty of our souls.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go amiss;

Some mornings the sun melts a field of sorrow;

And sometimes, even on the toughest day,

we see small seeds of hope, and know that we are blessed.

 
A prayer for April as we remember our sisters and brothers and ourselves in a world holding both nature’s wonder and human uncertainty.

 God of ancient calm, let your peace still us:

God of fearful storm, fill us with your awe:

God of lonely plains, touch the empty spaces

Within us,

Where we are vulnerable enough to meet you.

             REFLECTION FOR MAY 2012

 

A VOICE THAT WOULD NOT BE SILENCED

In this first week of May we have seen Vladamir Putin returning as Russia’s president, but not without some brave voices of opposition being heard. Marina Sayle, the research scientist who died recently, aged 77, was a brave Russian democrat and implacable opponent of Putin who called for him to be put on trial. Hers was a voice that would not be silenced, but after accusing Putin of corruption in 2000 she went into hiding in the Pskov region. During the years of perestroika, Marina was a charismatic leader in St Petersburg and first accused Putin of corruption 20 years ago. Weeks before her death she was again inspiring a new generation of pro-democracy activists enraged by Putin’s decision to return to the Kremlin.  Gorbachev has called her, “brave, principled and unyielding”.

In the early 1990’s she found that Putin had entered into legally dubious contracts with obscure firms to export raw materials abroad in return for food. The contracts were awarded without tender. These raw materials – oil, timber, rare metals – were duly exported. But the food never turned up. (Last year various  Rich Lists conservatively estimated Putin’s personal wealth at 40 billion US dollars.)

For me, Marina’s life of commitment to democracy and human rights reminds us of the many brave women and men in Russia who are not prepared to be silenced. Even at huge personal cost. At her last public appearance in February, short of breath, but still vigorous, lucid and as uncompromising as ever, Marina shouted into the microphone: “Together we will win.” We all know that it is a long and tough road ahead for the pro-democracy movement in Russia. Many will suffer on that journey. Some will be killed, others imprisoned and tortured. And other good women and men carrying awareness and integrity in their souls will simply disappear. For ever. But as we remember the courage of those like Marina Sayle, we know that a light – however faint – always remains within the darkness.

CLASS PRIVILEGE IN THE UK

I was very interested in a recent article by the UK journalist Gary Younge in which he was writing about the web of privilege which is deeply embedded in British social structures. At a time when millions of people are facing economic difficulties and uncertainties Gary writes:

“Class privilege, and the power it confers, is often conveniently misunderstood by its beneficiaries as the product of their own genius rather than generations of advantage, stoutly defended and faithfully bequeathed. Evidence of such advantages is not freely available. It is not in the powerful’s interest for the rest of us to know how their influence is attained or exercised. But every now and then a damn bursts and the facts come flooding forth.

The Leveson inquiry has provided one such moment. It was set up last year to look into specific claims about phone hacking at the News of the World, alleged police corruption and the general culture and ethics of the British media. But every time it probes harder into the Murdoch empire it draws blood from the heart of our body politic, telling us a great deal about how Britain’s political class in particular, and ruling class in general collude, connive and corrupt both systemically and systematically.”

THE LINDA NORGROVE FOUNDATION

More than a year ago I wrote about the charitable foundation which Linda and John Norgrove who live on the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland, had set up in memory of their daughter Linda who was taken hostage in 2010 in the remote Dewagal valley in  Afghanistan when working for an international aid agency. Linda was tragically killed by a grenade thrown by an American soldier during a failed attempt to free her.

Earlier this year Linda and John went to Afghanistan to see projects which are being helped by the Linda Norgrove Foundation. On their return John told reporters:

“It was a bitter-sweet visit, both healing but sad. It was good to see the work we have been able to help. We are seeing something good come out of something so tragic. What happened to Linda was so negative, but it was great to be able to create something positive out of that. You must be positive as that helps the healing process.

We could not believe the change in the country since our last visit in the 1970’s. Until you see it, it’s difficult to appreciate the scale of the military operation in the country. In 2011 the cost of the war was 103 billion US dollars and the aid budget was 15.7 billion US dollars. The military expenditure equates to around twenty thousand US dollars per Afghan family per year. By contrast, a teacher heading up this notional Afghan family might receive twenty US dollars a week, if he gets his pay at all. This imbalance inevitably exacerbates corruption.”

One of the projects supported by the Foundation is the Afghan Educational Children’s Circus – a groundbreaking work that uses entertainment to educate children on such issues as land-mine awareness and drug misuse. The Foundation also supports work with women and helps in the feeding of malnourished children. Its primary task is to help women and children affected by the long-running war. Around 40% of the Afghan population is under the age of 14 and one in five adult women have been widowed.

Linda and John have never apportioned blame for the incident which killed their daughter, preferring instead to focus on the valuable work which Linda carried out during her time in Afghanistan, a country she grew to love. She believed in Afghanistan and walked humbly alongside it people, aware of their struggles and speaking their language. It is good that her work of love, far from home, has not been forgotten.

 (You can find further details about the Linda Norgrove Foundation here:  http://www.lindanorgrovefoundation.org/)

God of aliens and strangers:

make the doors of our homes

wide enough

so all find a home.

God of the near and far off:

make our hearts

wide enough

so all might find a friend.

Part of a  prayer by Thom Shuman in the newly published 50 NEW PRAYERS FROM THE IONA COMMUNITY  edited by Neil Paynter and available from Wild Goose Publications www.ionabooks.com e-mail: wgrg@iona.org.uk.  The ISBN number is 978-1-84952-216-8.

            REFLECTION FOR JUNE 2012                     

COPING WITH ILLNESS 

Early in 2010 I was diagnosed with major blood clots in my lungs. I had read

a lot about clots following Dorothy’s very sudden death in March 2001. The clots shooting through Dorothy’s body were fatal and her death was instant. I 

have survived for another day, as they say! Going through this serious illness made me very aware not just of illness itself but how we find ways to cope when we encounter it.

It would be true to say that for most of us we hear a great deal about illness. A close friend suddenly faces cancer; an elderly relative moves into the acute stages of dementia; a young man with everything to live for finds himself burdened with depression: a neighbour who has never smoked in his life and who is physically fit is one day told that his liver is failing: a beautiful young woman studying for her final school exams faces, in an instant, or so it seems,  a terminal condition.

Which brings me to my friend Ian who had had severe back pain for many years. Not a day passes for Ian without almost excruciating pain at some point, despite medication. Often during the night this pain continues. It is a constant companion. Yet for all his many friends Ian is an inspiration - often the first person to contact you if he hears you need a bit of support. In all the years I have known him I have hardly ever heard him complain. His is not a “false optimism” for he is well aware that his condition is on a downhill track. But I often think that his attitude, his zest for life and his awareness of others, has in some ways lessened his constant background pain. I may be wrong, but it seems that way. His daily journey is hard, and there are many unknowns ahead for him - as there are for all those who carry constant pain in their bodies.

As I write this I am thinking not only about Ian but also about other  close friends who are coping with illness at this time. For some of these friends, like Ian, it is a daily encounter with bodily pain; for others the path is different as they have moved to that place where ordinary human communication is no longer possible, having entered the deep silence of the mind; for another it is the reality of wrestling with severe depression. In one way or another, each of them is in a place which makes them acutely aware of human vulnerability and physical weakness. And also of our shared mortality and dependence on reliable medical care. I understand a little of this because of that time two years ago when blood clots were moving freely in my own system.

And although it may be trite to say it, we all have different mechanisms for coping. Belief in a God whose love surrounds us has helped millions through the ages to cope with illness - to face it with some degree of serenity. But that is also true of millions of others for whom a faith narrative is not a conscious part of their understanding. And different religious and cultural traditions approach illness and healing in myriad ways.

When I had the privilege of living in a town-ship in South Africa, I was affected

deeply by how many of my neighbours who were in the last stages of AIDS encountered their weakness and pain. Time and again I was told by many sick folk, “we may be dying, Peter, but you know something - today we are LIVING!” “Today we are living” - is a phrase that often comes back to me. It is such a powerful truth, even in the face of great human suffering. And along with that truth, I witnessed in South Africa another truth – that illness often (not always) allows us to see the amazing  courage of the human spirit.

That is not for a moment to say that we need illness to understand more clearly our human condition, but it is to re-affirm that our essential humanity is sometimes enlarged through suffering. This in itself is a difficult spiritual and theological issue, and not all would agree that illness can enable us to enter into a deeper humanity. Many don’t cope calmly with illness and because of it become angry, frustrated and cynical about life. And that too we can easily understand, for facing illness is never a clear-cut path - even for those who outwardly appear to live with acceptance of infirmity of body or mind.

Yet as we think about this whole issue of coping with illness - whether in others or in our own life, I hope we can be consciously experiencing that somewhere, someone is walking with us.  Actually walking with us - at the level of our depths. Over the years in my pastoral work, I have seen that illness carried alone is truly a bleak journey. Even if we have only one other person understanding what we are going through it’s worth a million bucks.

Many of those who visit the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland have found meaning in the weekly Service of Prayer for Healing held in Iona Abbey. People of all faiths and of none have shared in prayers for those who are sick either in mind or in body, and I myself, like many others, find hope and healing in the simple words of the final blessing:

                                               GOD TO ENFOLD YOU:

                                               CHRIST TO TOUCH YOU:

                                               THE SPIRIT TO SURROUND YOU.

(Details about the work and witness of The Iona Community can be found at www.iona.org.uk  If you would like anyone to be on The Iona Community prayer list the contact e-mail address is:  enquires@iona.org.uk)