February 1st
It was lovely to be back at Saul, one of the first places that we ever took a Community team to, the place associated with St. Patrick. The day before I’d put on the appropriate clerical garments and preached and shared at the Candlemass Eucharist in Down Cathedral and now Shirley and I joined the growing Community of Prayer which meets at Saul every Monday to share Evening Office and pray for people and the issues that God lays upon their hearts. A simple commitment to pray for half an hour every week. Of course people have wanted to add to the simplicity of the call to prayer but thankfully those of us who laid the foundations and who continue to guard its ethos have resisted such moves that would deflect from its raison d’être.
So much of life is beautiful because of its simplicity. The temptation and allurement to add to, to garnish, to embellish can actually detract from the essence that is found in simplicity. Long may the simple gathering of people on a Monday night in Saul to pray a simple Evening Office continue.
As I led a short reflective piece on Brigid during the period of reflection in the Evening Prayer, I looked out upon a delightful group of believers, some of whom were once strangers but who have now become dear friends. Catholics, Protestants and a few neither clear or bothered about which camp they came from; more men than women, the prayer group is a sign of the
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
