on protest

Not everyone is comfortable participating in public protests or demonstrations. Perhaps it doesn't feel polite, turning up as a mob to chant and make one's voice heard on an important issue of the day. Or maybe we don't like the kind of people demonstrations sometimes attract. Or we might feel we're not the protesting type; unsure if it will actually change anything. Or possibly we just don’t like crowds. And yet there are time when we must make our voice heard and stand up for what is right. 

There is a long tradition of protest in the Bible. The Old Testament prophets were all about calling out injustice and godlessness in their society, sometimes courageously telling their king that the way he ruled was against God's commandments. More recently, you may have seen the photograph (above) of a nun in Burma, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, kneeling before armed police pleading with them to shoot her rather than the young protestors calling for a return to democracy. God continues to call his people to speak truth to power whenever society forgets the values of the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, with the crowds shouting 'hosanna' and paving his way with palms, was a form of protest. It was a parody of the Roman military processions of the time designed to remind people of their power and strength. Jesus’ procession was a demonstration of a different type of reign, an indicator that Jesus’ kingship is based not on power, but on love, self-sacrifice and care for the poor. 

photo: Radio Veritas Asi

on praying the stations of the cross

What does it mean to follow Jesus? 

This is the question at the heart of every Christian’s experience. We each seek, in our own way, to follow his teaching and example in our life so that we, in turn, become more like him. Through prayer and devotions we invite Jesus to inhabit our inner selves, to feel closer to him and to his leading in our life. When we read a gospel passage, we might think about which character we most identify with and imagine how they felt after their encounter with Jesus. 

During Passiontide (the fortnight before Easter) we use another way of following Jesus, Stations of the Cross. The fourteen images of Jesus’ passion on the walls of St Anne’s, allow us to take a prayer pilgrimage with Jesus on his journey to crucifixion. It’s a sombre and sorrowful journey, as we set ourselves alongside Jesus in the suffering he undergoes. As we do so, we pray for those who suffer in our world today. We reflect on the examples of kindness shown to Jesus by courageous people during his trials. The Stations of the Cross enable us to profoundly experience the lengths to which God is prepared to go, to show us how loved we are. In turn, they inspire us to give of ourselves in love to others. 

This year, because of the pandemic, we cannot be in church to journey the stations, but we can pray them at home. We've set up a special page on St Anne's website where you can download the images and a series of reflections. You might wish to read and consider one station a day in the fortnight before Easter, or read them in chunks, or give an hour of your time to slowly reading and praying them all in one sitting. I pray they will be a blessing and bring you closer to the love of Jesus this Passiontide.

on feeling far from God

What do we do when we feel far from God?  There are always times in life when it’s hard to pray, or open our Bible, or work up the enthusiasm for church.  These might be described as desert experiences where life feels dry, dull, or devoid of richness.  Just as life has its ups and downs, so too does our faith.   

The season of Lent mirrors the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness: a trying time indeed.  No scriptures to hand.  No synagogue or temple to worship in.  No home comforts, nor even any certainty where his next meal would come from.  And 40 days is a long time.  

I find by the time we get to this stage of Lent  it's becoming somewhat trying.  All those good intentions I began with – my Lenten fast, that book I said I’d read, daily rhythms of prayer – all begin to come under pressure.  And there's that little voice in my head that says, ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?’ Where does that come from?  It's precisely the same voice that tried to tempt our Lord away from his purpose on his desert retreat. 

What can we do in such circumstances?  Keep going!  The devotional life rests on structure and discipline.  It won’t feel rewarding every day, but our commitment to showing up for God will always bear fruit.  Maybe not today.  But one day soon where, instead of hearing the tempter’s voice, it's the still small voice of God speaking to us.  

Make sure you don’t miss it.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

on making friends with time

Mark Rothko, an American artist who died in 1970, has a special room to house his paintings at Tate Modern. His canvases are large and abstract, and seemingly very simple. The patterns are plain, the colours all rather similar and muted. If you saw one elsewhere in the gallery, hanging between the work of other ‘shoutier’ artists, you might not give them a second look. But in the Tate’s low-ceilinged Rothko Room, nine paintings hanging together in dim light, these works command your attention. The room is hushed, almost chapel-like, with benches to sit on while you contemplate these works. In such a setting, with no other distractions, the paintings come to life. As I discovered last time I visited, when you attend to them fully, they start to hum and pulse with a mystical energy. They almost become three-dimensional. 

Sister Wendy Beckett, who was an art historian as well as a nun, said that the beauty of some paintings, as with so much in life, is only revealed in time. “Silence is making-friends-with-time,” she wrote. “Silence floats free with time, letting the patterns of the moments unfold at its own pace. It is a way of becoming free, not only for the practical advantage of being able to ‘see’ the beauty in what is grey, for example, but at a far deeper level. In silence we break the hold time has on us, and accept our true home is in eternity.”

Lent is a season for stillness and for discovering God in the ordinary. When we give our attention to God, freed from other distractions, then we will encounter the pulse of life in our relationship with God. As the psalmist wrote, “Let awe restrain you from sin; while you rest, meditate in silence.” (Psalm 4:4 REB)