Sleep is a beautiful thing. It took me a while to unwind properly on retreat, but then, on the Wednesday night/Thursday morning I manage a whole twelve hours of sleep. I haven’t done that in years and years and years….
Sleep is beautiful. Dreams were interesting too. Lots of posts about to come your way.
Off on retreat here until Friday. It’s a place I knew when I was doing my curacy here.
I feel like I’m staggering over the finish line at the end of a marathon. I haven’t had a retreat since 2000 – although, to be fair, I did have a sabbatical year (grin) – but the last few months have been quite intense. It will be good to just sit in silence for a while. Although, me being me, I’m taking a bit of work – Learning Church session on the Gospel of Mark as soon as I get back, so I’m going to be spending time with the first evangelist.
Plus McLaren’s Generous Orthodoxy. Plus Peterson’s Christ plays – which I bought ages ago and wanted to read when I could concentrate on it – plus a few other books… and a couple of films….
Just finished watching series one of Battlestar Galactica. I’m impressed. Much more going on than I was expecting, particuarly in the sphere of theology. I’m intrigued to see where they go with the ‘love of god’ theme, which seems to be playing a great part in the plot.
It is reminding me of two things. The first is the Matrix trilogy, and the peace made between the matrix and humanity. The second is Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – that the Buddha is found in the pistons of an engine just as easily as in the flowers of a lotus petal.
In other words, I think there is a message here, coming through the collective unconscious, prompted by the Holy Spirit, about a reconciliation between humanity and technology, in order to move forward.
Having also finished book three of my ‘Peak Oil’ collection (full discussion tomorrow) the future survivability of human civilisation is on my mind.
“We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another – doubtless very different – St Benedict”
Second ‘Mersea Island Moving Images’ night last night – we watched (all six of us) the Steve Zissou experience.
Hmm. Maybe I’ve missed something, but it seemed like a lot of artifice in search of a good editor. It had plot – a good plot – but it seemed to get distracted with exploring characterisation when the characterisation (despite great actors) was not enough to sustain interest. In other words I didn’t actually care about the people involved.
It was as if it hadn’t made up it’s mind whether to be a whimsical piece of fantasy, or an engagement with real humanity. Either one of those would have been a great film. But this wasn’t.
Recently had to take a very sad funeral, and the request came in for Henry Scott-Holland.
I have problems with the Scott-Holland reading. In the context in which it was used it was specifically describing a non-Christian attitude, and it is non-Christian because it is non-true. Death is not nothing at all, death is horrible and maiming, particularly in a context like this.
I suggested a reading from Lamentations instead, but this caused great distress to one member of the family. So what to do? Insist on something Christian, or accept the heresy being read in church?
The pastoral is always trumps for me. It leaves me with an unquiet conscience, but rather that than increasing the already great distress amongst those grieving.
If only I knew of something “secular” that wasn’t so wrong. Anyone have suggestions?
You are Desiderius Erasmus, the Catholic humanist
who offered biting satires of the Church but
refused to join the Reformation cause.
Which 16th century theologian are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Came across this excellent article, written before the invasion of Iraq, describing our present situation, and what is at stake. I am greatly taken by his analysis.
“We must take a hard look at every idea we hold dear and ask, Does this idea even fit any more? And does it any longer make sense to speak of conservatives in a world in which a catastrophic change of some kind looms, or liberals when it is the core liberal values of all of us – even the most conservative – that are being threatened?
Once the world-historical magnitude of the risk is understood, it is possible for men of good will to differ profoundly over the wisdom of this or that particular response – and not only possible, but necessary. But this must be done in a climate free of pettiness and personalities: the cult of naïve cynicism – that oxymoron that characterizes so much of what passes today for intellectual sophistication – must be dismantled and as soon as possible if we are to make our response as intelligent and as creative as it must and can be. To call prudence appeasement is wrong. But to call the United States’ response a bid for empire is simply silly.
No one’s crystal ball is in such good shape that they can afford to be too vehement in denouncing those who disagree with them. Fear and trembling is the first order of the day, both on the part of those who counsel action and those who do not.”
Something to make you smile first thing in the morning.