大象传媒

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Revd Dr Mark Clavier, Canon Theologian for the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon.

Good morning. When I worked outside Cardiff, I regularly walked past an old well near Llandaff Cathedral. It鈥檚 easy to miss since it鈥檚 only a dark hole in the ancient wall blocked by a grating marked by a bronze cross. An old plaque tells passers-by that it鈥檚 the well of St Teilo, the second Bishop of Llandaff.

According to ancient historians, Teilo was born near Tenby and was a cousin of the more famous St David. He became both a monk and bishop and founded several churches in Wales and Brittany, including the precursor of Llandaff Cathedral.

Most of the stories told about St Teilo are like those associated with other early Welsh saints. Their admirable holiness tends to be the stuff of legend rather than history. When I wasn鈥檛 rushing frantically by, I would stop at the well to pay my respects.

What fascinated me was my sense of the passage of time. In the heart of a modern city lies this holy well where people have come for centuries to find healing and wholeness. Perhaps growing up as I did in Florida, where anything older than 1900 qualifies as ancient, has attuned me to this. But I鈥檓 convinced that there鈥檚 something about sanctity combined with generations of care that is powerful beyond words. If only we stop to notice.

Let us pray.
Father of all, in every generation you raise up men and women to act as beacons of your love in the storms and perils of life: grant that we who revere the memory of your servant Teilo may, like him, bear witness to your fatherly care. Amen.