A couple of old AIF paybooks and a notebook scrawled with addresses of billets in WWI France came to light in a clean-up the other day. They belonged to my grandfather who died the year before I was born. Handling them once again gave the sense of missed connection. From all accounts, he sat lightlyContinue reading “Devious Diggers and Wondrous Widows”
Category Archives: Spirituality
A tale of two Armstrongs
The name Armstrong has been abroad this weekend – a name common to two unrelated men – one a hero and the other … well, the jury would still be out if one had been called. The hero, the now late Neil Armstrong, needs no introduction as the first human to set foot on anContinue reading “A tale of two Armstrongs”
Blessed are the cheesemakers…
Sorry – can never hear the “peacemakers” beatitude quite the same again after Monty Python. Unless I hear it in a translation from the Aramaic text. Here it is: Healed are those who bear the fruit of sympathy and safety for all, they shall hasten the coming of God’s new creation. (Blessed are the peacemakersContinue reading “Blessed are the cheesemakers…”
Terror at the Empty Tomb
“So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Mark 16:8 So ends the earliest gospel narrative, describing the reaction of the women who, on arriving at the tomb where Jesus’ crucified body was laid, and expecting toContinue reading “Terror at the Empty Tomb”
Mercy from the inner womb
Healthy are they who from the inner womb birth forth compassion, they shall feel its warm arms embracing them. (Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy) Mercy is often depicted as the grudging letting go of rightful retribution or discipline for a wrong, along the lines of “OK, I’ll let you off thisContinue reading “Mercy from the inner womb”
A Dangerous Method and Synchronicities
As long suffering readers of this blog may know, I am fascinated with synchronicities (aka “co-incidences”), so off I hied myself to see “A Dangerous Method“, a movie on the early professional life of the guru of synchronicity, Dr Carl Jung. I found the movie somewhat dis-satisfying, although I appreciated the exploration of his relationshipContinue reading “A Dangerous Method and Synchronicities”
The Hunger Games, Girard and the Cross
I succumbed and took in “The Hunger Games” at the local multiplex – a greybeard amongst herds of youth. The screenplay is the first of several based on a popular teenage trilogy surpassing, it is trumpeted, the Harry Potter and Twilight series. Eschewing magic tricks and supernatural themes, it paints a picture of a post-apocalypticContinue reading “The Hunger Games, Girard and the Cross”
Where justice begins…
Wake up, you who long deeply for a world of right relationships, you shall be encircled by the birth of a new society. (Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied) “Righteousness” is a loaded word. I look back to the evangelical influences of my youth and remember theContinue reading “Where justice begins…”
The might of the meek…
Jesus said: Tubwayhun l’mskikhr d’hinnon nertun arha. Wake up, you who have softened what is rigid within; you shall be open to receive the splendor of the earth’s fruits. (KJV version: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.) This one, in traditional expression, has been one of the most misunderstood of the Beatitudes.Continue reading “The might of the meek…”
There’s muscle in what we yearn for…
Jesus said: Tubwayhun lawile d’hinnon netbayun. Wake up you who weep for your frustrated desire; you shall see the face of fulfillment in a new form. (KJV version: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted..) Again, it is plain to see how a translation from Aramaic (through the Syrian tradition) favours aContinue reading “There’s muscle in what we yearn for…”
Wondering Pilgrim 