大象传媒

From Rev Ruth Scott, Anglican Vicar in Richmond:

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My brother-in-law, Colin, told me a bit of a tall story at the weekend: Faithful old Tom was dying. His family called their vicar to his bedside. After his arrival Tom took a sudden turn for the worse. At one point he gesticulated wildly, indicating a need for pen and paper. He wrote franticly. The priest took the message but, in the light of Tom鈥檚 rapid failing slipped it into his pocket unread as he gave the last rites. Later, during Tom鈥檚 funeral, the note came to mind and taking it from his jacket the priest told the mourners how Tom had written it in his last moments. 鈥淭om always inspired us,鈥� he said, 鈥渟o let鈥檚 hear his final words.鈥� And he read, 鈥楽tep to the right: You鈥檙e standing on the tube to my oxygen supply!鈥�

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In critical circumstances, blinded by our own assumptions about others we can be easily distracted from what they鈥檙e trying to tell us. This time last year I was privileged to join a team of facilitators working with the members of General Synod - the governing body of the Church of England - in their conversations about women bishops. The purpose was not to bring agreement or change minds but to help members really hear one another at a human level, and, if they chose, to find ways of working together with their sometimes significant differences. Yesterday they voted in favour of having women bishops. You won鈥檛 be surprised to hear I鈥檓 pleased about that, but what gave me even greater pleasure was a comment made by one of the opponents of this change. He knew the vote was likely to go against him but he said, 鈥淭here is a much greater sense of trust than there was the last time the synod voted.鈥� When people disagree, trust is often one of the first casualties. To be able to hold differences and maintain trust, even when things don鈥檛 go as you want, is a great example in a world where dissent often leads to violence. Unlike the vicar in old Tom鈥檚 story, I think this particular priest鈥檚 words are a breath of fresh air.