December to January 2013 - Leicestershire Villages

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Actually this is not a Christmas message…... In December the Anglican Church celebrates the feast of Nicholas Ferrar. Ferrar was the prime mover of one of the most remarkable experiments in Christian living. In the seventeenth century he and his extended family, his mother, brother sister and their families lived out a kind of monastic life in the house at Little Gidding. They shared in a discipline of work and prayer, based on the services in the Prayer Book, and in the reading of the Psalms. The ebb and flow of prayer and work formed a structure in which members of the community served one another and their neighbours. The result was a vibrant Christianity in which social action and holiness walked hand in hand. Although the community did not outlive the death of its founder it has continued to shape and inspire people down the centuries. It was celebrated by T.S.Eliot in his poem Little Gidding from the Four Quartets If you came this way, Taking any route, starting from anywhere, At any time or at any season, It would always be the same: you would have to put off Sense and notion. You are not here to verify, Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity Or carry report. You are here to kneel Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more Than an order of words, the conscious occupation Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying. And what the dead had no speech for, when living, They can tell you, being dead: the communication Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living. Here, the intersection of the timeless moment Is England and nowhere. Never and always. 18
That kind of inspiration is expressed today in communities involved in New Monasticism. Typically those who commit to such a way of life follow a number of basic principles. They become involved with the marginalised in society, sharing their resources with one another and with the needy. They show hospitality to the stranger and seek to heal the divisions in society through the pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Their life is characterised by deep commitment to the church, to contemplation, to the way of Christ, to the nurturing of faith and to following a ‘rule of life’. They will often live near to each other for support, and will show great care for the earth and its resources and will support the local economy. It’s a new and daring experiment in Christian living, and believe it or not, there’s one such community within a five minutes drive from here. Drop in to St Joseph’s Tearooms near Mount St Bernard’s Abbey some time and see what’s going on, it may just make you think. May God Bless you richly in this Christmas Season Revd. Tony Edmonds 19
Page 1: Long Whatton News DECEMBER 2012/Jan
Page 4: Long Whatton News is delivered free
Page 14 and 15: NATURE TRAIL It’s been several ye
Page 22: 20% off all meals and accompanying
Page 27: Eyes down...it’s Bingo at the Com
Page 31: Green Footprints Awards 2013 now op
Page 43: LONG WHATTON VILLAGE SHOW 2013 ? TH
Page 50: KJ PARTRIDGE PLUMBING AND HEATING E

December to January 2013 - Leicestershire Villages

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?