spirituality

Two thoughts from Thomas Merton…

Two thoughts from Thomas Merton, writer, theologian, poet, social activist and mystic, and Trappist monk writing in the ‘60s, couldn’t be more important and relevant for today – first his thoughts on the danger of nuclear war, and then part of a poem where he is calling for messengers of peace to proclaim God’s law of love.

“I am not a pure pacifist in theory, though today in practice I don’t see how one can be anything else since limited wars (however “just”) present an almost certain danger of nuclear war on an all-out scale. It is absolutely clear to me that we are faced with the obligation, both as human beings and as Christians, of striving in every way possible to abolish war. The magnitude of the task cannot be allowed to deter us. Even if it seems impossible, we must still attempt it. This demands of course a spirit of faith.”

“So tell the earth to shake
With marching feet
Of messengers of peace
Proclaim my law of love
To every nation
Every race”

Thomas Merton – A Book of Hours

The Devil’s Moment

When the bombers are flying in the name of peace

With people hungry when they needn’t be

It’s the demon of greed when selfishness wins

It’s the devil’s moment.

When the innocent die because our cause is right

When fear is alive and cuts like a knife

When unfaithfulness wins and mistrust is alive

It’s the devil’s moment.

An aeroplane against a clear blue sky

Fearfully guided by an evil eye

Both sides of the world so many will die

It’s the devil’s moment.

Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison

When we turn away and pass on by

Though the cock crow we avert our eyes

When we don’t speak up so the truth dies

It’s the devil’s moment.

In Auschwitz or Palestine

Maybe on your street, maybe on mine

From Hiroshima to Rwanda genocide

It’s the devil’s moment.

They say if a butterfly beats its wings on one side of the world

On the other side a hurricane comes

So if we say a lie on one side of the world

What will happen on the other side?

May the words of my mouth – the thoughts of my heart

Be acceptable in your eyes, O God

Or I co-operate with the darker side, and … It’s the devil’s moment.

Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison

A Prayer at Christmas 2016

Oh God, these are difficult times –

we pray for a renewed vision of your humble way,

your way of justice and hope for all;
We pray that we might have a deep vision
of the Prince of Peace,

and the way of the Prince of Peace.

May our churches become centres
that not only have a dream of justice for all

but live out the values of this dream
in the communities in which we live.

Give us renewed joy this Christmas –
and then a renewed commitment to action –
to have an encounter with the God whose name is mercy,

the God who is humble and generous.

In the name of God,
the Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life.

A prayer for the land once known as holy

God of justice and compassion

Hear the cries of your wounded people
Hear the cries of those imprisoned
in a land once called ‘holy’
May we be part of the community
that raises our voices
and challenges our governments
to speak up for those who get ignored.
We pray for justice to come
because peace cannot come
without justice
And yet when there is justice we know
that both Palestinians and Israelis
will find freedom and hope
In the sadness of a deeply wounded Middle East
we pray that the plight of the victims of injustice
will not be forgotten any longer
by the governments of the world
nor by the church leaders of the world
May we hear the call of this kairos moment
to walk with the values of Jesus
and to campaign and pray
that peace with justice
will become a reality –
so both Palestinians and Israelis will find peace,
so both may move forward to a new day where all are respected,
and where both communities find hope.
And when we travel there as pilgrims
may we be renewed by our encounter with the ‘Fifth Gospel’
that opens our eyes to the values of your kingdom
and the way of healing and hope.

Garth Hewitt – Little Boy Down

Garth performed his song Little Boy Down for the first time at St Peter & St Paul Church, Reepham, Lincoln, on 2nd December 2015 – it is a year since the events which inspired this song and he has included it on the Christmas album Peace at Christmas

Steadfast Love

When my soul is bereft of peace,

I’ve forgotten what happiness is,

I find this I call to mind

And therefore I have hope –

When injustice shrivels the soul,

In a world that’s forgotten the way,

I find this I call to mind

And therefore I have hope –

The steadfast love of God will never cease,

God’s mercies will never come to an end –

They are new every morning,

They are new every morning

God’s steadfast love will never come to an end.