Lead Kindly Light

Stained Glass at Mount Melleray Abbey

The Pillar of the Cloud

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom; Lead Thou me on.

The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on. 

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; 

one step enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou shouldst lead me on; 

I loved to choose and see my path, but now lead Thou me on.

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, pride ruled my will: 

remember not past years. 

So long Your power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on, 

o'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone; 

and with the morn those angel faces smile 

which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

John Henry Newman, at sea, 16th June 1833

Lenten Compline Hymn, Mount Melleray Abbey

I was very blessed to join in a prayerful retreat at Mount Melleray Abbey, near Cappoquin, where the above hymn was sung by the monks at the Compline office (evening prayer). It was composed by John Henry Newman in a period of turmoil, as he struggled to get home to England from Europe, and to pursue an inner pull to transform the Church. He endured loneliness, illness and a deep yearning to begin his quest, though he did not yet know what truly lay ahead for him.

I am in great gratitude for the presence of these inspiring Cistercian monks, who honour and live out their devotion to God, Love, Silence, Community and Contemplation, and allow us to join in and anchor ourselves there too. We know not what lies ahead for us, but by anchoring ourselves in the strength of our prayers, our deep inner knowing, and Silence, we invite and embody Rest.

Retreat

If the Cross is deeply contemplated, it is saying that love is supreme, and that the darkness and the apparent unfairness of life can be endured. In the Cross, love is able to speak ... speak to any human situation, whether of loss, of persecution, of disillusion.

Fr. John Woolley

As we begin the Lenten season, it reminds me again to look within, to recognise those unhelpful hiding places and defensive positions, those habitual reactions to others and to life, and to seek Love's comfort, Love's help, Love's understanding, Love's patience, Love's company, Love's solitude, Love's resilience, Love's invitation to surrender and overcome, Love's rest. 

Silence

God's poet is silence! His song is unspoken 

And yet so profound, and so loud, and so far,

That it thrills you and fills you in measures unbroken -

The unceasing song of the first morning star ....

Joaquin Miller, The True Poet

There was a beautiful calmness this week, a gentle invitation for the Spirit into Silence. It was restful, with a grateful recognition of peace, simplicity and community. And then, typically, a familiar moment of turmoil arrived, with its not-so-welcome recognition of panic, confusion and isolation. It amazes me how our default polarities sit so closely together, pulling us from one extreme to the other.

The spiritual masters, saints and mystics have recommended for hundreds and thousands of years, that we consciously place our attention on Silence and Presence, rather than on the story or object of our disharmony; focus on the Presence rather than on the circumstances of the turmoil; focus on the background Silence in which this is all taking place. In this way, the circumstances are acknowledged, allowed and absorbed into the entire background, rather than so dominating our foreground that we cannot even sense Silence as the background.

This is a practice of prioritising Presence over the restless, ever-changing, often weary landscape of our minds. It is the repetitive action of placing our attention on God, on Silence, like the hall light we leave on through the night while we sleep. Ramana Maharshi tells us to concentrate on the light, rather than on what is illuminated by the light. This is our permanent landing place. This is certainly one reminder I constantly use, and somehow, I recognise my true Self there, in recognising God, and an ease comes to the Spirit.

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.

Mahatma Gandhi

Silence, as Presence, as Beingness, is the background which holds all else, and into which everything is absorbed and dissolves. It is Silence in the presence of turmoil, peace, fear, frustration, joy, disappointment and inconsistency. It is Silence in spite of noise, interruption, disharmony, joy, progression, success. It is the Silence within which our inner knowing is revealed.

In an attitude of trust and silence, we bow everything to God. Contemplation confirms that a higher order of balance and harmony is working its way out in us and in Life itself. These moments of turmoil take us beyond Resilience. We just need to keep our eye on the light, and watch it continue to shine forth in and around us.

Returning to silence is returning to peace.

Returning to peace, the world reharmonises itself.

Lao Tzu

The Highest Good

The highest good is like water,

nourishing life effortlessly,

flowing without prejudice

to the lowliest places.

It springs from all 

who nourish their community

with a benevolent heart as deep as an abyss,

who are incapable of lies and injustices,

who are rooted in the earth,

and whose natural rhythms of action

play midwife to the highest good 

of each joyful moment.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

We don't always know what's good for us. We don't always flow with our circumstances. The flow of life can feel like a raging torrent, or a calm sea, oscillating in pace and intensity. At times we are exhilarated, at others we hang on for dear life. It is what it is, and it is constantly moving and changing. We can find ourselves resisting the movement, unable to accept situations, or becoming impatient and forceful in our efforts.

Our lowliest places do best when allowed to exist, when allowed to voice their imbalances and prejudices, their efforts and injustices, their hopes and dreams, their disappointments and joys, their difficulties with being. This is what it means to be ordinary, to be human. We cannot nourish and balance these places until we understand them.

We have all met people whose actions come from goodness and we see the results in our communities and families. When we catch ourselves out of sync with Life's rhythm, it is often these people who help bring us back into balance. They make us laugh when we get too serious, they comfort us when we're struggling, they demand integrity and honesty when we are unwittingly lying to ourselves. They live Life, and are the best version of us.

Contemplation confirms that there is a goodness and benevolence underlying everything. Our experience shows us that Life is moving in the direction of balance, harmony and equanimity. It is not subject to negotiation, cajoling, or force. It has an all-embracing wisdom. It is effortless, yet active. Divine work is taking place. Our job is to stay in the river, and keep swimming. We are a necessary part of the flow.

St. Brigid

Feast of St. Brigid 1 February

The 1^st of February marks the Feast day of St. Brigid, also spelled Bridget, Bridgit or Bríd. She is the patroness of Ireland and was also known as Mary of the Gael. The daughter of a pagan chieftain from the province of Leinster, she was born into slavery as her mother was a servant of the chieftain. After a period of time being fostered, she returned to live as a servant to her father around the age of 10. St. Brigid became known for her strength of character, holiness, protection and generosity to the poor and sick, frustrating her father by giving away his food and home provisions to the poor and hungry who called to their home for help. It is thought that he became so frustrated with her that he carried her in a chariot to the King of Leinster to try and sell her, and as she waited in the chariot, a beggar approached her looking for help. She immediately gave him her father's jewelled sword to be used as barter for food. The King, in recognising her genuine sense of charity and holiness, granted her her freedom. Later, attempts by her father to find her a marriage partner failed as she dedicated herself in service to God and to the poor.

She lived from approximately AD455 - AD525, and ranks alongside St. Patrick and St. Columcille (or St. Columba) as some of the earliest and most influential saints. Starting with 7 other postulants, it is thought she first approached St. Maccaille for direction, and under his guidance, began her first novitiate. They made their final profession with St. Mel of Ardagh. She founded numerous convents throughout Ireland, the most famous being a monastery for both monks and nuns in Kildare.

She is held with great affection in Ireland, particularly in rural areas, where her affinity with the earth and healing finds devotion among farmers, mothers and healers. Having grown up in pre-Christian pagan times, St. Brigid brought forward with her many of the ancient traditions, customs and practices into her new Christian faith. She believed in healing wells, the symbolism of fire and Imbolc, the Celtic celebration of the start of spring. Tradition still finds people hanging a ribbon or scarf outside on St. Brigid's Eve, as it was known to become blessed and imbued with the healing properties of St. Brigid for the head, throat, ears and neck. She is associated in folklore with a white red-eared cow, and is said to visit on 1^st February to bless the people, the land, and the livestock.

There are many legends and healing miracles associated with her, including her pleading with the King of Leinster for land to build her convent in Kildare. Though hesitant, he finally agreed to offer her enough land to cover her cloak, upon which four of her Sisters each took hold of a corner of the cloak and began running in the four directions of the compass, the cloak expanding as they ran. On seeing this, the King relented and offered her as much land as was needed for the convent.

Early February is known in the Celtic calendar as Imbolc, the start of Spring. I have often felt this is a great season of renewal. While the frost and snow can still be solid on the ground, there is a sense that the soil is warming up, bulbs are shooting up through the earth, and a promise of spring is present. It is characterised by snowdrops, the planning of spring farming schedules and vegetable seedlings. The quality of light has changed. It is becoming more powerful, with the sun rising higher in the sky, and the light extending longer into the day. It is a time of progress and cooperation. It is a time of prayer for the year ahead. Even when I lived in the Southern Hemisphere, late February marked the end of oppressive heat and humidity, and a turning point into cooler, more comfortable conditions. It is possible to move forward.

When I pray to St. Brigid during this season, I sense a feisty, wise woman with tremendous courage to show compassion and generosity and to fight for the poor and marginalised, in her practical devotion to God. She had tremendous faith, and it is thought that she used the rushes to make a cross to teach people about Christianity. One legend tells how St. Brigid was called to visit a dying pagan chieftain. As she sat near his bed, she picked up some rushes from the floor and began to weave a Cross. Though delirious, he calmed and asked her what she was doing and, in explaining, she told him about Christ and the meaning of the Cross. He was deeply impacted by her and what she taught, and asked to be baptised on his deathbed.

St. Brigid's Cross

Traditionally, a new St. Brigid's Cross is made on 1^st February and hung inside the house over the entrance door to replace the one from the previous year. The cross acts as a blessing to all who enter the house, and as a prayer of protection over the occupants. In pagan rituals, it was also known to protect the house from fire.

In spite of many legends and folklore surrounding her, it is certainly true that she founded a number of convents, held herself in tireless service to the poor, and educated and inspired many people to Christianity. There is still a strong Brigidine community of religious present in Ireland, particularly in Leinster, and in the area surrounding Kildare. She is venerated not only in Ireland, but in Britain and in many parts of Europe. St. Brigid's Well is located on the site of her original monastery in Kildare, and still acts as a devotional and pilgrimage site today. There are 5 prayer stones thought to symbolise St. Brigid's vocation - the Earth/Land, Welcome for the Poor, Prayerfulness/Peacefulness, Compassion, and Holiness/Contemplation. The well itself is held in high regard as one of Ireland's healing wells.

St. Brigid's Well, Kildare

Image of St. Brigid courtesy of Ann MacDuff from “The Little Book of Celtic Saints”

Image of St. Brigid's Cross courtesy en.wikipedia.org
Image of St. Brigid's Well courtesy www.kildare.ie