´óÏó´«Ã½

Good morning. After years of planning, I recently got to visit Wells cathedral for the first time.  Now I know that visiting a cathedral isn’t everybody’s idea of an exciting day out – but it is mine.

Wells was one I’d wanted to see for a very long time. It was well worth the wait. The huge square west front of the cathedral with rows of statues overlooking a big open green is a real stunner.  But what I really wanted to see was inside, because about the middle of the interior, under the tower there, is a set of three curved, X shaped arches known as scissor arches and they are pretty famous.  And it turned out they were  also breath-takingly beautiful – far beyond my wildest expectations.

But what I find most astonishing about them is that they’re not there as decorations – they are actually a 14th century repair put in to stop the tower falling down.  What, for my money is the most beautiful bit of the cathedral is actually something like a scar.

And that might be a bit surprising – but it isn’t the only example I’ve come across.  For instance, I have met so many people who have come through serious personal problems, major family traumas, illness and injuries but have emerged not just stronger – but different in other ways. Their troubles may have marked them; but those marks have been turned into something positive. Personal suffering can often leave behind it a special depth of compassion for the problems of other people.  And shared experience can offer a level of trust and understanding that can be powerfully comforting and healing when someone is going through the mill.

Father God. Thank you for those people who turn their experience of suffering into a resource to help others. Help each of us in our own way to seek out opportunities to show real compassion for those around us. Amen