大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rev Guy Goodall

Good morning.

Fishing tackle shops are not for catching fish, rather to catch fishermen. There鈥檚 one such shop not far from where I live. I was in there once when a professional angler told me what his partner thought of fishing: sitting quietly on the river bank was meditation for men. I must admit that a day on the river bank, wild life and blue sky, a pack of sandwiches and flask of hot coffee is certainly something special regardless of catching fish!

Loneliness and solitude, words that have similar meanings, yet when scrutinized they stand a long way apart. Loneliness, isolation, away from the company of others, with whom we can reflect on life, we need ongoing friendships, and then we鈥檙e able to journey into the future knowing that we are not alone, because others journey with us. Solitude is a deliberate act of separation from others in order to increase our sense of awareness of that which is other than ourselves, maybe conjuring up the source of the beauty around us.

Religion鈥檚 involved with boundaries of belief and behaviour, sharing in the corporate experience of generations of faith. Whilst spirituality is part of a forward-looking journey, pilgrimage, exploration of the new, the Other. It excites my spirit, giving shape, developing significant elements that make my life what it is.

Help me, Lord, to have a place where I can go with time to look into my life鈥檚 pilgrimage, clarifying where I am going, finding comfort at the end of my journey in the house you are preparing for me.

Amen.