大象传媒

Good morning.

Interviewed once about a prison chaplaincy post at Wormwood Scrubs,
it was put to me as of vital importance
that a person in that ministry should find themselves a second altar.
Somewhere else to pray, in other words,
away from the bars and the locks,
where monotony and the frustration that goes with that can be left behind.

But as I took up parish ministry,
the wisdom of that advice has grown and grown
and for now at least, I think I鈥檝e found my second altar.
It鈥檚 a small, modern Catholic church
on the southern edge of the Mountains of Mourne
and it鈥檚 called Holy Cross Attical.

It鈥檚 usually at the end of the week that I seek it out,
and probably only when it鈥檚 been one of those weeks.
But so far,
the door has always been open and I鈥檝e always had it completely to myself
which adds to my sense, on arrival, that God is waiting for me
and that I should really have got there a bit sooner.
It has a spare, uncluttered beauty
which I suspect appeals to my lower Church, Anglican background.

Often it鈥檚 the sound of the swirling mountain air outside that I need,
to let the sufficiency and Pentecostal power of God
put the minor things in perspective.
But it鈥檚 on the floor of the Chancel
that I find the fraternal welcome and the Gospel freedom
which unfetters me from whatever is clouding my head and my heart.
Because in a circle of what I take to be highly polished Mourne granite
are tiled the words 鈥淲e should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ鈥�.

God of all grace,
lead us from the madness and maelstrom to that quiet corner
where Your Son is looking out for us,
where Your Spirit is longing to enfold us,
and where medicine for our souls can begin to flow. Amen<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />