This befell us though we had not forgotten you.Though we had not been false to your covenant,though we had not withdrawn our hearts;though our feet had not strayed from your path.Yet you have crushed us in a place of sorrowsand covered us with the shadow of death.(Psalm 43:18-20) A good few years ago, when seeing… Continue reading The Death of a Crow
Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb in 1879, or was it Joseph Swan? It is simple yet ingenious. Whilst at college, doing my teacher training, our science lecturer said he explained the process to 6th class students by asking them what would happen if he placed a fifty pound note outside the classroom door and said… Continue reading It’s Pretty Hot in the Entrance Way
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,And when we find ourselves in the place just right,‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.When true simplicity is gained,To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,To turn, turn will be… Continue reading Turning to the Source
The term ‘Fat Tuesday’ (Mardi Gras) has always made me chuckle. Finish up the goodies – get it in before Ash Wednesday. It seems quite childish, yet most of us are mere children in the spiritual life. I confess – I have always found fasting difficult. I admire those who with ease, eat only when… Continue reading Getting it in There – Before Lent
‘In a word, the Cistercian Order is founded upon Alberic as upon a rock.’ Thomas Merton In the Valley of Wormwood p.37 The most striking thing about St. Alberic of Citeaux, from what we know of his life is that of perseverance. His faith and single-mindedness are inspiring. Very few people have even heard of… Continue reading Alberic
“We do not want merely to see beauty, though God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words – to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” C.S.… Continue reading God in a Pod?
“Our world no longer hears God because it is constantly speaking, at a devastating speed and volume, in order to say nothing. Modern civilisation does not know how to be quiet. It holds forth in an unending monologue. Postmodern society rejects the past and looks at the present as a cheap consumer object; it pictures… Continue reading Electrifyingly Cacophonific
Poor old Mr. Google gets a hard time from me. I am always giving out about him. It’s not his fault, I am as guilty as anyone of the ‘need to know,’ of wanting instant answers – instant anything…just give it to me instantly! I crave Mr. Google’s wisdom even to the point of finding… Continue reading A Life Less Powerful
I have been growing sweetcorn. I planted the kernels directly into the soil in the green house. A week later, on morning inspection, they had been wiped out…a morning raid by dastardly squirrels! I had never grown sweetcorn before and was on the verge of giving up when the still small voice of the Holy… Continue reading Brace Roots
Brother Alberic 