A prayer for the day

The Terce prayer for Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter)

God of eternal compassion,

  each Easter you rekindle the faith of your consecrated people.

Give them still greater grace, so that all may truly understand

  the waters in which they were cleansed,

  the Spirit by which they were reborn,

  the blood by which they were redeemed.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The darkest night and the brightest dawn.

When my eldest was quite young, his boundless energy for asking me "Why?" had one day tried my patience. In my frustration I exclaimed "Lord love a duck",  it was not however met with a "Why?". It was met with "Does HE?". I can not now remember my answer but the phrase stuck. Now when ever, my three children know they are annoying me they ask "Is he loving ducks yet?". Usually followed by "How many?". Where in it then becomes a competition to see how many ducks they can get the Lord to love. But some things are sent to try us, and try us they do.

Many things along our lives are sent to try us, things that as a child we would never have thought we could or would be able to shoulder. At this point when the Crosses, Icons and religious imagery are veiled we focus on the burdens of life more. On the surface we have masked these images, hidden them. However, we  know that when one hides things or attempts to think about other things, we think about them more. We are acutely drawn to the sufferings of Christ at this time. He bore his cross, through abuse, blood, sweat and tears. He stumbled and fell, he sought help, and he finally in agony and despair, expired. He did all these very visibly and many at the point of his Crucifixion must have joined him in that call of  despair. "Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani?" An exclamation that the end of their tolerable emotions had been reached. Yet still in this moment of despair, when Jesus is overwhelmed, the use of "My God" is notable. He knows his Father is still there.

There are ups and downs in all our lives, times when we have all felt like screaming "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" For some it is an emotional point, some it is at the point of watching a loved one die and for others it is the extreme desolation and poverty in which they live. Some of these grievances may seem superficial and unimportant compared to the extremes of others. However to the person experiencing them, they are feeling as abandoned and despairing as those in the most desperate of situations. Each of us have our limits and our problems are very much the problems of the cultures in which we individually live. When we reach that point, it is very often the point at which we turn to God. Some come and talk to God with more vigour than they have in years, many more turn to God for the first time. When we feel abandoned, it is out of a desperate belief for some hope that we will turn to God in our most open and unabashed way.

In the depths of night, I used to sneak from my dormitory, down to the Chapel at school. There I would cry the tears behind the smiles. I would converse in silence the thoughts behind the laughter in class. Towering above me was the shadowy depiction of the crucifixion. Half veiled in darkness and half revealed. So we must remember as our focus on Christ's and our suffering is enhanced by the veiling of our Church adornments. That all veils can be removed in the revelation of the Resurrection. No veil is permanent, be it a physical one or an emotional one. In these last two weeks of Lent, we maybe half in the blackest part of night, but we are also turning towards the light of a new dawn. We will find in the light of the resurrection. That though through the valleys of death we have walked, we have not been abandoned we have been brought to eternal life.

Three for the price of One

A few days back we celebrated the Annunciation (Lady Day), which as my son proudly declared means we are one pregnancy and birth away from Christmas. It is in short the day in the Anglican and Catholic calender when we remember the day The Blessed Virgin was told of her Immaculate Conception. This feast which is closely followed by Mothering Sunday, means Mothers and Motherhood are very much on our minds.

For many these days are happy and joy filled as we celebrate and thank those that nurture us in our lives. For others they are days tinged with sadness due to bereavement or for some they are days full of bemusement because they have never felt the nurture or love of a Mother. For (fortunately) a select few it is a reminder of the abuse they have suffered at the hands of the person who should have loved them beyond all else.

No relationship is straight forward and our relationships with our Mother's are of course not plain sailing. Despite this though we know that our Mother's are the one we turn to when we are hurting and afraid. There is a constancy and support in the arms of a Mother figure that puts their arms around you and tells you how the mess you are in can be fixed. That is why, when that relationship goes awry it becomes all the more shocking and hard to understand. It is for many incomprehensible.

For those of us who are Christians, we are most fortunate to be blessed in a threefold way. We have our earthly Mothers, either our birth one or the ones who come into your life in other ways. These Mothers are there to give you the earthbound hugs, dry your tears and guide your life. There is the Mother Church, who holds you in a nurturing community. This community gives you lessons of Christ and space to grow in faith. They are there to pray alongside you in times of need. To gather around you and ease your burdens. Finally, you have the Blessed Mother. When we are spiritually lost we can turn to her loving guidance to intercede with her son Jesus Christ. She is there for us, any time and any place all we have to do is turn to her in prayer. When we feel that there is no person here we can turn to, we can turn to her. We are all her children and she will be Mother to us all.

We are blessed to be able to find such love to support us. It means that when the relationships with our Mother's fall apart (temporarily or permanently) we are not with out hope and love. No matter what we have done, we have a Mother we can turn to in faith knowing that she will support us in grace, love and charity. 

We should with thankful hearts turn to all our Mother's and thank them for the work that they put into our lives. It is very easy to underestimate the value of the unsung work of the Mother's in our lives, to take it all for granted. Each of these Mother's work hard for us, without any glory or desire for any. They are just there. So though the days are past when we are reminded to give thanks to those who drop anything to nurture us, I am reminding you again. I am reminding you not just to give thanks for their service in your lives. I am reminding you that they are there, ready and willing to listen to you, that you may not be alone even when you feel that you are.

As I kneel before you,

as I bow my head in prayer, 

take this my day, make it yours,

and fill me with your love.

Ave, Maria, gratia plena,

Dominus tecum, benedicta tu.

All I have I give to you,

ev'ry dream and and wish are yours;

mother of Christ, mother of mine,

present them to my Lord

Ave,Maria, gratia plena,

Dominus tecum, benedicta tu.

As I kneel before you,

and I see your smiling face, 

ev'ry thought, ev'ry word

is lost in your embrace.

Ave, Maria, gratita plena,

Dominus tecum, benedicta tu.

Maria Parkinson (1956)