大象传媒

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

Good morning,

An extraordinary privilege of priesthood is the opportunity to hear from others about their struggles with faith and doubt. I recently spoke with a bereaved woman who shared with me her anger towards God and her experience of losing her faith. At the same time, she told me about her longing for God and for a reconnection with a spirituality that was once a great comfort. Her desire for God even during an experience of loss and separation reminded me of the legacy of a great Christian mystic remembered today.

St John of the Cross was a 16th century Spanish friar from a poor background. He died in what looked like total failure, poverty and disgrace after a long history of bitter relations with his religious order. And yet, after his death, he came to be recognised as a saint and one of the greatest mystics the church has ever known. As a priest, a poet and an artist he testified to his experience that God acts through vulnerability, failure and contradiction. His life was continually marked by periods of intense struggle that he famously described as 鈥渁 dark night鈥�, and yet he found that in these times God鈥檚 presence can be found even in the bleakest moments. His poetry, writings and sketches continue to inspire and help many, pointing towards the possibility of finding meaning in, through and beyond suffering.
He lived extremely simply, and was noted for his kindness towards others, his whole life offering a wonderful scaffold to any seeking to discover fresh hope in hard places.

O Lover of Souls, whenever we feel alone, bless us with hope that we may find courage to live with gentleness and to be signs of your love for others. Amen.