Reflection
This was when I was glad of my ‘holy’ wellies – not so many holes in them that they don’t keep my feet cosy while out reserve-wardening.
I was grateful for the rain: for the feel of it on my skin; the fact that it refreshes pasture for livestock and wildlife; that it makes the meadow a less attractive habitat for humans high on N2O … Then a passage from Julian floated into my mind.
In her vision, the beads of blood/life-force dripping from Jesus’ crown of thorns were as plentiful, Julian said, as raindrops falling off the eaves of a thatched roof after a heavy shower.
So, walking through long wet grass > renewed appreciation of God’s love raining down on His universe. And there’s the wonder: that we are all called to be priests, who take the mundane and let the Holy Spirit transform it into divine encounter? That would make the physical world – and time itself – a sacramental.
At all times and in all places give thanks to God our father, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephesians 5:20
God wants us to see everything through the eyes of love.
(Julian of Norwich, ‘A Revelation of Love’ Chapter 73)
Prayer
Thank you, Lord,
that you prompt us
to give you thanks and praise.
Forgive us the many times
we still forget
to give you thanks and praise.
Thank you for feeding us
with so many reminders
of your love and your closeness in the world around us.
And bring us all at the last
into your eternal Now,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Action
Prayer before/after eating can be good for bringing worship into everyday life, and vice versa. No set form of words is necessary, though in my house a ‘prayer-cube’ is much used. In Jewish practice, grace after a meal is generally longer, because at that stage there aren’t people getting hungry and food going cold.
A reflection from Jennifer Brooker ObJN, who has been a frequent visitor of Sarum College. She has a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and master’s degree in theology awarded by Durham University.
Leave a Reply