Easter Renewal

Essay published in Spirituality magazine, March/April 2015.

The gloriously scented bluebell

Easter is probably my favourite liturgical time of the year. At some point many years ago, I realised that a wonderful sense of wellbeing and enthusiasm comes over me at this time of year. It is also matched by the warming springtime, longer days, daffodils and bluebells. This sense of wellbeing arrives at Easter, and follows on from a quieter Lenten time of inner transformation and prayerfulness.

I do not think I have ever seen anything more beautiful than the bluebell I have been looking at. I know the beauty of our Lord by it.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Lent has traditionally been a time of prayer, fasting and helping others (almsgiving), when we engage in a period of renewal, and try in our own way to echo the 40 days our Lord spent in the wilderness, praying, fasting, and being tempted. It culminates at Easter when we take time to meditate on His Passion, and to celebrate His Resurrection.


It is a time of cleansing and sacrifice, of doing without unnecessary luxuries and of consciously trying to give up unhealthy habits and behaviours. Some people decide to give up something specific such as smoking, alcohol, chocolate or sugar, or at least to limit their levels of consumption. Others look towards their actions and try to give up bad habits, negative attitudes, unhelpful thinking or other limiting behaviours. Still others decide to take up a positive habit for Lent – getting more exercise, eating well, helping others, showing random acts of kindness, or offering their time to volunteer at a local organisation.


What I noticed about this season is that even if we find ourselves too busy or too stressed or for any reason unable or uninterested to engage consciously with this renewal, the renewal seems to happen anyway, albeit with probably a little more resistance from ourselves. Life energy is renewing itself, and we all benefit. God, as Life, is emptying us out, clearing out the cobwebs, and preparing for a freshness in our direction, in our thinking, and in our lives. It prepares us for a new beginning. It is an internal time, a time of releasing old and unwanted habits. We are being renewed from within.


This inner renewal can be far from easy. It can be a time of intense frustration, where nothing goes according to plan, and obstacles appear around every corner. It is a time of following, rather than leading. It is a time of sensitivity, of recognising our limitations, our flaws and our compulsions. We can gain great self-awareness during this time, and become wise to our tendencies and habitual reactivity to life. We can also become weary and despairing. This weariness is a good thing, as it makes us reluctantly accept and admit our limitations. Through an inner consent and surrender, we are then more open to welcoming God’s Way into our lives and circumstances.


Fasting has been a tradition in many cultures and religions throughout the centuries, cleansing the body, clarifying the mind, and renewing our spirit. Apart from food, the act of going without can mean abstaining from overindulging in work life, sport, TV, computers, tablets, Facebook and other technology. It can also mean noticing and trying to balance or curb our emotional responses at work and with loved ones, such as losing our patience, getting angry, or falling into despair.


The difficulties we may experience during Lent humble us and make us more aware of our weaknesses and imbalances. Through perseverance and prayer, we are echoing the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, his prayers to his Father, and his overcoming of the temptations in the desert. We can often feel that parts of us are dying off at this time of year. It is the dying off of the old stale parts of us. It stirs a desire in us for the purity and simplicity of God’s love. It awakens in us a desire for prayer and devotion. We gain patience for the weaknesses of others. We may even find it easier to help others at this time. Through sacrifice, our internal needs are simplified.


By Easter, there is a great forward thrust in life, in nature and within ourselves. The darkness of winter gives way to the light of spring. The land becomes warm, crops are sown and vegetables are planted for the seasons ahead. We notice the quality of light changing, the length of our day, and daylight saving heralds a burst of evening light and activity. We feel back to our old selves, but better, because humility stays with us, and we remain sensitive to others needs. We are more generous with our desires. We want something, but because it benefits more than just ourselves. This season surrounds us with a sense of holiness and goodwill and acceptance of self, others and our circumstances. We are blessed and renewed.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

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

The First Snow

The First Snow of the Season

The New Year has started with an urgency to put some sense on what lies ahead for us in 2015. Resolutions, prayers, hopes and wish lists are made. Decisions are finalised. We're determined and confident, yet mildly unsure and perhaps overambitious.

Mondays are often like that. We get an overview of what our demands are for the full week ahead, and often catch ourselves trying to get it all done by Monday evening. By Tuesday, we have made steady progress. On Wednesdays, we find time for a cuppa, and to reach out to a friend. On Thursdays, we wonder what all the fuss was about on Monday, as we find the demands diminishing, our perspective shifting, and we sail easily through lists and emails and housework and activities. By Friday, we are enjoying the bigger picture. The weekend gets busy with non-routine, with family time, with walks, with some sacred time, and we seek out time, places and people to balance and inspire us. Inevitably we find ourselves slowly gathering momentum, and by Sunday evening we're getting organised wondering how we will manage it all again next week! 

I sense the Tuesday energy kicks in around mid-February. Wednesdays are probably around Easter. Thursdays are May. Fridays are early August. Saturdays are late September/early October, and Sundays are November and December. Then there's the opposite rhythm of the Southern Hemisphere (It's probably a Thursday or Friday there now), and the rhythm of the Earth as a whole, and on and on to infinity.

There's nothing like Nature's Rhythm to interrupt the cycle of our routine. The first snow came into our lives this week with much childish fun and excitement. There were moments of Glee! We also had delays and cancellations and had to re-think our plans. Icy roads, car trouble, frozen water pipes, heating problems (or cooling problems if you're like my friends in Australia) all cause havoc. Cancellations in transport, work, school or even an appointment to the doctor can frustrate and delay our tightly planned schedules.

I've started to not worry about delays and cancellations. I've seen many last-minute re-directions come into my life, swerving me from going off on unnecessary tangents, or perhaps saving me from untold anguish. They are Blessings in disguise. Life is interrupting us to bring us home. It's not vital to finish what you are doing this very moment. It really isn't. It will get done. Change your energy. Get out and move, or get home and rest.

An Irish cup of tea is one of my most valuable companions. I've endured and celebrated many of my deepest trials over copious cups of tea! Even when I became too upset to eat, I could always handle a cup of tea! The tea makes me sit down and look out the window, across the fields to the horizon. It makes me stand at the doorway and listen to the birds outside. It makes me take a deeper breath. It makes me sigh. It makes me take a moment. It makes me share a moment with family or friends. It soothes the effort and the trying inside. It moves me into a place of trust and surrender. There's always water in the kettle!

Look across the fields to the horizon

Sometimes, beauty is so beautiful, we have to pause, whether it's Monday, Tuesday, April, May or November. The first snow - it is a new beginning, when the purity of the landscape and lives around us shine white and bright. It is a welcome interruption.

Beauty and simplicity preserve the spirit from distraction and lead it to God. Beauty leads to Contemplation and is a sort of sacrament of the eternal beauty of God.

André Louf

Find the rhythm of the day. Instead of time and task management, intuition can find the natural pulse and rhythm moving around and through us. An enormous sense of natural effort and progress merge in this rhythm. Tasks get done, but with a greater sense of well-being and inner quiet. Loosen the schedules and pause. A deep breath and a long look to the horizon can refresh and reconnect our attention inwards to re-align with that natural rhythm. Be Yourself. Be present to the Presence.

Contemplation tells us to allow the interruptions. Allow the setbacks. Allow the frustrations. Allow them all. Then, wait for the pulse, and begin again. Nature's Rhythm is eternal.

Nature's Rhythm

It's a New Year. May goodness, blessings and good fortune surround you this year.