Fr. Tony’s Mid-week Message
May 8, 2014
I just got back from eight days at a
CREDO Conference and Retreat at Chapel Rock Center in Prescott, Arizona. During the week, several over age 55 Episcopal
Church clergy colleagues and I worked through a variety of lectures, exercises,
and practices aimed at helping us reconnect with our identities and make firm
plans for rebalancing our lives and ministries in the areas of spirituality,
health, finances, and vocation. It was a
very restful, challenging, and inspiring, with moments of joy and piercing
clarity. In the next weeks, I suspect
you will be hearing about it from me on occasion as I try to implement some of
the resolves I made there.
Today is the Feast Day of Lady Julian
of Norwich, who had her vision of the “Showings of Diving Love” on or about this
day in 1373. In honor of St. Julian, I
share with you one of her “showing” poems, edited and presented as “Canticle R”
in the Episcopal Church’s Enriching our
Worship I.
A Song of True Motherhood
Julian
of Norwich
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God
chose to be our mother in all things *
and
so made the foundation of his work,
most
humbly and most pure, in the Virgin’s womb.
God,
the perfect wisdom of all, *
arrayed
himself in this humble place.
Christ
came in our poor flesh *
to
share a mother’s care.
Our
mothers bear us for pain and for death; *
our
true mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life.
Christ
carried us within him in love and travail, *
until
the full time of his passion.
And
when all was completed and he had carried us so for joy, *
still
all this could not satisfy the power of his wonderful love.
All
that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God, *
for
the love of Christ works in us;
Christ
is the one whom we love.
Grace
and Peace,
Fr. Tony+
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