The child of Bethlehem, the man on the Cross, Jesus – he embraces the whole of our human experiences – God with us, not just for good times, but for all times. This is the message of the angels – God with us, in times of darkness and cold, sorrow and uncertainty; God with […]
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Water
Posted on by James Woodward
water If I were called in To construct a religion I should make use of water. Going to church Would entail a fording To dry, different clothes; My litany would employ Images of sousing, A furious devout drench, And I should raise in the east A glass of water Where any-angled light Would congregate endlessly. […]
Change?
Posted on by James Woodward
Change is the essence of life. Or as Herbert Spencer put it in his Principles of Biology: ‘a living thing is distinguished from a dead thing by the multiplicity of the changes at any moment taking place in it.’ A commitment to changelessness is not only unfortunate, it is impossible. Rigidity is its sin; […]
Laughter
Posted on by James Woodward
Laughter An extract from H. A. Williams’ book Tensions, Necessary Conflicts in Life and Love God, we believe, accepts us, accepts all men, unconditionally, warts and all. Laughter is the purest form of our response to God’s acceptance of us. For when I laugh at myself I accept myself and when I laugh at other […]
Criticism?
Posted on by James Woodward
A sermon preached at St Georges Windsor Third Sunday of Advent 1 Corinthians 4. 1-5 Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be […]
John of the Cross
Posted on by James Woodward
Saint John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz) (24 June 1542 — 14 December 1591), born Juan de Yepes Alvarez, was a major figure of the Catholic Reformation, a Spanish mystic, and Carmelite friar and priest, born at Fontiveros, Old Castile. Saint John of the Cross was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and […]
Waiting
Posted on by James Woodward
The song I came to sing remains unsung to this day. I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument. The time has not come true, the words have not been rightly set; only there is the agony of wishing in my heart….. I have not seen his face, nor have I […]
the struggle within?
Posted on by James Woodward
Life forges us in struggle. From one end of life to another we duel and joust, contest and dispute, rebel and revolt – against forces outside ourselves, yes, but against tensions within us as well. We struggle from infancy in an attempt to exert our own will on the world around us only to discover […]
God in the struggle of life?
Posted on by James Woodward
But God is not a puppeteer and God is not a magic act, God is the ground of our being, the energy of life, the goodness out of which all things are intended to grown to fullness. Yet it is a struggle. How can we possibly equate the two – a good God with […]
On the Road
Posted on by James Woodward
I travel upto Durham today to see my parents and catch up before Christmas – the card drop will save a fortune and Christmas isnt Christmas without on of my mothers cakes! this is a special year for them – on Christmas eve they celebrate 50 years of marriage. The north feels so much part […]
the scarlet sky
Posted on by James Woodward
when a child leaves the breast for solid food it does not look back it grows the seed is nourished by earth then spreads towards the sun so: taste the scarlet sky open towards wisdom hide no longer in yourself you came here like a star that had no name enter the night […]
What lessons is life teaching you?
Posted on by James Woodward
Life is a series of lessons, some of them obvious, some of them not. We learn as we go that dreams end, that plans get changed, that promises get broken, that our idols can disappoint us. We learn that there is such a thing as human support and that there is also such a thing […]
Ambrose
Posted on by James Woodward
At 33 Ambrose had it all – a successful career as a lawyer, an important position as governor of Milan, the approval and friendship of the emperor, and a large estate. Then the bishop of Milan died. At this time, about 374, heresies threatened to destroy the Church. The bishop had supported the Arian […]
Always on the way?
Posted on by James Woodward
We always fall short, always remain other, and yet are always on the way. I am always on the way, it seems, on this pilgrimage, to having eyes according to God’s eyes, to having a heart according to God’s heart. My wandering eyes, my divided heart makes me realize the truth of Van Gogh’s words, […]
Charles de Foucauld
Posted on by James Woodward
CHARLES DE FOUCAULD (Brother Charles of Jesus) was born in Strasbourg, France on September 15th, 1858. Orphaned at the age of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their grandfather in whose footsteps he followed by taking up a military career. He lost his faith as an adolescent.His taste for easy living was […]
Stillness
Posted on by James Woodward
stillness Whatever you hoped, you will not find yourselves in the garden, among the growing plants. Your lives are not circular like theirs: your lives are the bird’s flight which begins and ends in stillness– which begins and ends, in form echoing this arc from the white birch to the apple tree. From […]
Advent
Posted on by James Woodward
God our Father, you loved the world so much you gave your only Son to free us from the ancient power of sin and death. Help us who wait for his coming and lead us to true liberty. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you and […]
Advent Antiphons
Posted on by James Woodward
O Wisdom, Holy Word of God You rule all creation with power and true concern. – Come teach us the way of salvation. O Sacred Lord and leader of ancient Israel You communicated with Moses at the burning bush and gave him the law on Mount Sinai – Come to set us free by Your […]
Wisdom is knowing that comes of loving.
Posted on by James Woodward
Wisdom is knowing that comes of loving. It is a conjoining of knowledge and love that I have been trying to find, first of all, in human embodiments, as ‘’a person in the persons’ I have known. I encounter it whenever ‘‘heart speaks to heart,’’ whenever a person who loves me seems also for a […]
Hot sweet and spicy beetroot soup
Posted on by James Woodward
Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 shallot, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 large beetroot, grated 2 tbsp red wine vinegar pinch of sugar 200ml/7fl oz beef stock Greek yoghurt chives, chopped to garnish This is a Dig In recipe. Method 1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry […]