WEEKLY PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS
ZOOM LOG ON DETAILS FOR THE TUESDAY MEDITATION GROUP @ 1pm
This is a recurring meeting for Tuesdays at 1pm whilst the Church is closed due to Coronavirus
Copy and paste this link into your browser https://us04web.zoom.us/j/671712331
Or join meeting with ID 671 712 331
All are Welcome
This is a recurring meeting for Tuesdays at 1pm whilst the Church is closed due to Coronavirus
Copy and paste this link into your browser https://us04web.zoom.us/j/671712331
Or join meeting with ID 671 712 331
All are Welcome
Loving God
As we are mindful of Boris Johnson, his partner Carrie Symonds and their unborn baby as they face the challenges of coronavirus, we pray for all families who face the uncertainty of ill health at this time.
We hold each person, regardless of their status or public profile, in the light of your love and ask for healing and compassion.
In your infinite mercy, hear our prayer, Amen
Rev Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference
As we are mindful of Boris Johnson, his partner Carrie Symonds and their unborn baby as they face the challenges of coronavirus, we pray for all families who face the uncertainty of ill health at this time.
We hold each person, regardless of their status or public profile, in the light of your love and ask for healing and compassion.
In your infinite mercy, hear our prayer, Amen
Rev Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference
Welcome to Tuesday Meditation Group – 7 April 2020
Pull up a chair and make yourselves comfortable. You may like to join us live on Zoom at 1pm today – you will be very welcome. Please see the top of this page for details of how to access the Zoom meeting room.
We will begin to gather at 1pm and then at about 1.15pm we will begin the meditation. We are now in Holy Week and this week’s meditation is reflecting on Good Friday. Our focus is the painting below by Craigie Aitchison, and the words from Sister Wendy Beckett. After sharing these words, we will then have 25 minutes of silent meditation. You may want to have the image to hand to cast your eyes over during the silence, and the words too. After the silence we will have a few minutes when you are invited to share your reflections, thoughts, comments.
If you are not able to join us on Zoom, you are invited to read the words, focus on the painting, and set your timer for 25 minutes of silent meditation. If you would then like to share your thoughts, please feel free to send them to me by email or text.
May this time of meditation be a blessing to you.
Deacon Belinda Letby
Belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk 075 2818 7006
In art, there are few crucifixions that stress the inner truth of Jesus’ death: that Christ accepted with enormous happiness that he had accomplished all that his Father willed.
Shortly before his death, Craigie Aitchison painted this extraordinary crucifixion. The world has been reduced to absolutes, in which only nature is innocent. The earth has become desert, and yet Jesus draws new life, the scarlet poppy. The very presence of the cross has created a strip of living green against which we can make out Aitchison’s beloved Bedlington dog. But above the land soars Christ on the cross, a luminous body blazing with the fire of love. His features are consumed in the intensity of his passionate sacrifice. Over his head hovers the skeletal outline of the Holy Spirit. There are stars in the sky catching fire from the fire of Jesus, and we see the great curve of the rainbow, a sign of God’s covenant with humankind. Aitchison is showing us not what the crucifixion looked like, but what it truly meant.
Crucifixion, 2008, Craigie Aitchison
Pull up a chair and make yourselves comfortable. You may like to join us live on Zoom at 1pm today – you will be very welcome. Please see the top of this page for details of how to access the Zoom meeting room.
We will begin to gather at 1pm and then at about 1.15pm we will begin the meditation. We are now in Holy Week and this week’s meditation is reflecting on Good Friday. Our focus is the painting below by Craigie Aitchison, and the words from Sister Wendy Beckett. After sharing these words, we will then have 25 minutes of silent meditation. You may want to have the image to hand to cast your eyes over during the silence, and the words too. After the silence we will have a few minutes when you are invited to share your reflections, thoughts, comments.
If you are not able to join us on Zoom, you are invited to read the words, focus on the painting, and set your timer for 25 minutes of silent meditation. If you would then like to share your thoughts, please feel free to send them to me by email or text.
May this time of meditation be a blessing to you.
Deacon Belinda Letby
Belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk 075 2818 7006
In art, there are few crucifixions that stress the inner truth of Jesus’ death: that Christ accepted with enormous happiness that he had accomplished all that his Father willed.
Shortly before his death, Craigie Aitchison painted this extraordinary crucifixion. The world has been reduced to absolutes, in which only nature is innocent. The earth has become desert, and yet Jesus draws new life, the scarlet poppy. The very presence of the cross has created a strip of living green against which we can make out Aitchison’s beloved Bedlington dog. But above the land soars Christ on the cross, a luminous body blazing with the fire of love. His features are consumed in the intensity of his passionate sacrifice. Over his head hovers the skeletal outline of the Holy Spirit. There are stars in the sky catching fire from the fire of Jesus, and we see the great curve of the rainbow, a sign of God’s covenant with humankind. Aitchison is showing us not what the crucifixion looked like, but what it truly meant.
Crucifixion, 2008, Craigie Aitchison
Tuesday Meditation Group - 31 March 2020
Welcome to Tuesday Meditation Group.
If you would like to join us via Zoom please see the details below. We will begin at 1pm. We have only 40 minutes in total so we will begin with a few minutes of greetings, followed by the words below written by Sister Wendy Beckett, then 20 minutes of silence, and then a few minutes to share anything with one another. During the silence I will mute everyone, and I encourage you to stay focussed in the silence (it may be a challenge at home with distractions around you) to enable you to get the most out of that time. I suggest you take some time to gaze at the painting beforehand, and to have it to hand during the meditation (either on your computer screen or a printed copy).
If you are not able to join us in that way, I invite you to make yourself comfortable, take time to read the words by Sister Wendy and spend some time gazing at the painting. Then, set your timer to 20/25 minutes for silent meditation, focussing on the words, the painting, or both, and let them take you where they will. Afterwards, if you would like to share your thoughts/reflections please feel free to send them to me by email or text.
Whatever way you are able to join us, may your time of meditation be a blessing.
Deacon Belinda Letby
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
Gilles, 1721, Jean-Antoine Watteau
Gilles is a man discomforted: he stands exposed, tense and unhappy. Yet we could not call him a man who is not at peace. Something has happened (the artist does not spell it out) that has removed him from his fellow actors and left him painfully alone. Gilles is ill at ease, but he has no option: what is happening must be lived through, and he sets himself to do it. This courage – this acceptance of powerlessness and decision to await consequences from which we cannot escape – this is an element of the confidence that springs from peace. Gilles is at peace because he does not rage against the inevitable. The wisdom is in knowing what is inevitable and what, with courage and intelligence, can be changed. Fundamentally, though, nothing matters except to be true to what we know is right.
Belinda Letby is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting, on Tuesday 31 March, 1pm.
Join Zoom Meeting - See top of page
Welcome to Tuesday Meditation Group.
If you would like to join us via Zoom please see the details below. We will begin at 1pm. We have only 40 minutes in total so we will begin with a few minutes of greetings, followed by the words below written by Sister Wendy Beckett, then 20 minutes of silence, and then a few minutes to share anything with one another. During the silence I will mute everyone, and I encourage you to stay focussed in the silence (it may be a challenge at home with distractions around you) to enable you to get the most out of that time. I suggest you take some time to gaze at the painting beforehand, and to have it to hand during the meditation (either on your computer screen or a printed copy).
If you are not able to join us in that way, I invite you to make yourself comfortable, take time to read the words by Sister Wendy and spend some time gazing at the painting. Then, set your timer to 20/25 minutes for silent meditation, focussing on the words, the painting, or both, and let them take you where they will. Afterwards, if you would like to share your thoughts/reflections please feel free to send them to me by email or text.
Whatever way you are able to join us, may your time of meditation be a blessing.
Deacon Belinda Letby
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
Gilles, 1721, Jean-Antoine Watteau
Gilles is a man discomforted: he stands exposed, tense and unhappy. Yet we could not call him a man who is not at peace. Something has happened (the artist does not spell it out) that has removed him from his fellow actors and left him painfully alone. Gilles is ill at ease, but he has no option: what is happening must be lived through, and he sets himself to do it. This courage – this acceptance of powerlessness and decision to await consequences from which we cannot escape – this is an element of the confidence that springs from peace. Gilles is at peace because he does not rage against the inevitable. The wisdom is in knowing what is inevitable and what, with courage and intelligence, can be changed. Fundamentally, though, nothing matters except to be true to what we know is right.
Belinda Letby is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting, on Tuesday 31 March, 1pm.
Join Zoom Meeting - See top of page
Lent Meditation for Monday 30th March 2020.
During lent we have been meeting in the quiet space of our church on Monday’s from 1pm-1.30pm for meditation. The hope was to offer local workers and residents a quiet place in the city to reflect, pray and encounter God. Since we are facing this challenging time with Covid-19 Corona Virus the meditations for the will be going online.
Our theme for these meditations has been ‘The Wilderness of…’ and we have been focusing on 5 different topics which are relevant for lent and also living in the city. This week’s topic is ‘The Wilderness of loneliness in the city’ and is the last in the series.
You are invited to find a quiet place in your home and follow the guide below. The mediation will last 15 minutes but you can extend it with a longer silence if you wish. May Jesus who experienced the loneliness of the desert bring you a sense of community today and throughout the week.
Stilling prayer by Ron Rolheiser:
Still my heart so that I may know that you are God, that I may know that you create and sustain my every breath, that you breathe the whole universe into existence every second, that everyone, myself no less than everyone else, is your beloved, that you want our lives to flourish, that you desire our happiness, that nothing falls outside your love and care, and that everything and everybody is safe in your gentle care, in this world and the next.
You ae invited to take a look at your surroundings and offer thanks to God for something which gives you joy in this space.
(Quietness)
Scripture: Adapted from Isaiah 26:20Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until this time is past.
In this strange time we are all adjusting to a new rhythm of life. Many of us may be feeling a sense of loneliness even if we are surrounded by those in your households. For those who live by themselves or in a community where visitors became a precious part of your day this time of isolation may bring about a different kind of aloneness. In a poem by John O’ Donohue he reflects on his experience of loneliness. You are invited to read his words slowly and choose a sentence which sparks your heart. Then use 5-10 minutes of silence to meditate on that sentence/phrase. You might find it useful to say the sentence aloud 8 times and then have a time of silence.
What do you learn about God in this time of meditation?
A Poem for Loneliness from John O’Donohue’s book ‘To Bless the Space between us.’
When the light lessens,
Causing colors to lose their courage,
And your eyes fix on the empty distance
That can open on either side
Of the surest line
To make all that is
Familiar and near
Seem suddenly foreign,
When the music of talk
Breaks apart into noise
And you hear your heart louden
While the voices around you
Slow down to leaden echos
Turning silence
Into something stony and cold,
When the old ghosts come back
To feed on everywhere you felt sure,
Do not strengthen their hunger
By choosing fear;
Rather, decide to call on your heart
That it may grow clear and free
To welcome home your emptiness
That it may cleanse you
Like the clearest air
You could ever breathe.
Allow your loneliness time
To dissolve the shell of dross
That had closed around you;
Choose in this severe silence
To hear the one true voice
Your rushed life fears;
Cradle yourself like a child
Learning to trust what emerges,
So that gradually
You may come to know
That deep in that black hole
You will find the blue flower
That holds the mystical light
Which will illuminate in you
The glimmer of springtime.
Silence to meditate on a sentence/phrase. (5 – 10 minutes)
Closing prayer
Christ of all seasons in life,
Guide my waking, my sleeping, my solitude and my community.
May I have courage and hope,
Knowing that I am with Christ,
And being held in my creator’s hand.
Amen.
During lent we have been meeting in the quiet space of our church on Monday’s from 1pm-1.30pm for meditation. The hope was to offer local workers and residents a quiet place in the city to reflect, pray and encounter God. Since we are facing this challenging time with Covid-19 Corona Virus the meditations for the will be going online.
Our theme for these meditations has been ‘The Wilderness of…’ and we have been focusing on 5 different topics which are relevant for lent and also living in the city. This week’s topic is ‘The Wilderness of loneliness in the city’ and is the last in the series.
You are invited to find a quiet place in your home and follow the guide below. The mediation will last 15 minutes but you can extend it with a longer silence if you wish. May Jesus who experienced the loneliness of the desert bring you a sense of community today and throughout the week.
Stilling prayer by Ron Rolheiser:
Still my heart so that I may know that you are God, that I may know that you create and sustain my every breath, that you breathe the whole universe into existence every second, that everyone, myself no less than everyone else, is your beloved, that you want our lives to flourish, that you desire our happiness, that nothing falls outside your love and care, and that everything and everybody is safe in your gentle care, in this world and the next.
You ae invited to take a look at your surroundings and offer thanks to God for something which gives you joy in this space.
(Quietness)
Scripture: Adapted from Isaiah 26:20Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until this time is past.
In this strange time we are all adjusting to a new rhythm of life. Many of us may be feeling a sense of loneliness even if we are surrounded by those in your households. For those who live by themselves or in a community where visitors became a precious part of your day this time of isolation may bring about a different kind of aloneness. In a poem by John O’ Donohue he reflects on his experience of loneliness. You are invited to read his words slowly and choose a sentence which sparks your heart. Then use 5-10 minutes of silence to meditate on that sentence/phrase. You might find it useful to say the sentence aloud 8 times and then have a time of silence.
What do you learn about God in this time of meditation?
A Poem for Loneliness from John O’Donohue’s book ‘To Bless the Space between us.’
When the light lessens,
Causing colors to lose their courage,
And your eyes fix on the empty distance
That can open on either side
Of the surest line
To make all that is
Familiar and near
Seem suddenly foreign,
When the music of talk
Breaks apart into noise
And you hear your heart louden
While the voices around you
Slow down to leaden echos
Turning silence
Into something stony and cold,
When the old ghosts come back
To feed on everywhere you felt sure,
Do not strengthen their hunger
By choosing fear;
Rather, decide to call on your heart
That it may grow clear and free
To welcome home your emptiness
That it may cleanse you
Like the clearest air
You could ever breathe.
Allow your loneliness time
To dissolve the shell of dross
That had closed around you;
Choose in this severe silence
To hear the one true voice
Your rushed life fears;
Cradle yourself like a child
Learning to trust what emerges,
So that gradually
You may come to know
That deep in that black hole
You will find the blue flower
That holds the mystical light
Which will illuminate in you
The glimmer of springtime.
Silence to meditate on a sentence/phrase. (5 – 10 minutes)
Closing prayer
Christ of all seasons in life,
Guide my waking, my sleeping, my solitude and my community.
May I have courage and hope,
Knowing that I am with Christ,
And being held in my creator’s hand.
Amen.
Weekly Meditation Group - Tuesday 24 March 2020
Welcome to our Weekly Meditation Group.
You are invited to find a comfortable place to sit and spend some time in meditation. In all the uncertainty of these days, meditation is a helpful way to reconnect with our self, our thoughts, emotions and senses. We take some time in silence today to think about JOY, and how we have the option of choosing joy, of seeing glimpses of joy amidst the dark moments. I invite you to take time to gaze at the painting, Rainbow Landscape by Rubens, and then read the piece by Sister Wendy Beckett. Then, set your timer for 25 minutes of silent meditation – reflecting on the painting, the words, the moments of joy in your life for which you are thankful. You may want to close your eyes, or continue to gaze at the painting. Afterwards, if you would like to share your thoughts, reflections, concerns, joy, etc, please feel free to send those to me, either by email or text.
Next week, I hope to set up a Zoom meeting so that we can enjoy a ‘virtual’ meditation. I will post the link to that on the website.
May this time of meditation be a blessing to you.
Deacon Belinda Letby
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
Rainbow Landscape, c1636, Peter Paul Rubens
Choosing Joy
Rubens is consummately the painter of happiness. But this sunlit, unreflecting sense of well-being, precious though it is, is not joy. Joy is something deeper, and in a sense sterner. Although we cannot command it, we choose joy, making a deliberate commitment to happiness (essentially another word for peace). Rubens delights in the positive: the rainbow symbolising hope (and in itself so beautiful), the light glinting on the rich meadows, the benign cattle and their fruitful surroundings. Yet there are dark elements, too, in the picture if we want to seek them out: the sunless woods are not far away. Rubens chooses: he emphasises the good things. Joy is independent of choosing: it overwhelms and suffuses us.
Welcome to our Weekly Meditation Group.
You are invited to find a comfortable place to sit and spend some time in meditation. In all the uncertainty of these days, meditation is a helpful way to reconnect with our self, our thoughts, emotions and senses. We take some time in silence today to think about JOY, and how we have the option of choosing joy, of seeing glimpses of joy amidst the dark moments. I invite you to take time to gaze at the painting, Rainbow Landscape by Rubens, and then read the piece by Sister Wendy Beckett. Then, set your timer for 25 minutes of silent meditation – reflecting on the painting, the words, the moments of joy in your life for which you are thankful. You may want to close your eyes, or continue to gaze at the painting. Afterwards, if you would like to share your thoughts, reflections, concerns, joy, etc, please feel free to send those to me, either by email or text.
Next week, I hope to set up a Zoom meeting so that we can enjoy a ‘virtual’ meditation. I will post the link to that on the website.
May this time of meditation be a blessing to you.
Deacon Belinda Letby
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
Rainbow Landscape, c1636, Peter Paul Rubens
Choosing Joy
Rubens is consummately the painter of happiness. But this sunlit, unreflecting sense of well-being, precious though it is, is not joy. Joy is something deeper, and in a sense sterner. Although we cannot command it, we choose joy, making a deliberate commitment to happiness (essentially another word for peace). Rubens delights in the positive: the rainbow symbolising hope (and in itself so beautiful), the light glinting on the rich meadows, the benign cattle and their fruitful surroundings. Yet there are dark elements, too, in the picture if we want to seek them out: the sunless woods are not far away. Rubens chooses: he emphasises the good things. Joy is independent of choosing: it overwhelms and suffuses us.
Lent Meditation for Monday 23rd March 2020.
During lent we have been meeting in our quiet space of our church on Monday’s from 1pm-1.30pm for meditation. The hope was to offer local workers and residents a quiet place in the city to reflect, pray and encounter God. Since we are facing this challenging time with Covid-19 Corona Virus the meditations for the next two Monday’s will be going online.
Our theme for these meditations has been ‘The Wilderness of…’ and we have been focusing on 5 different topics which are relevant for lent and living in the city.
This weeks topic is ‘The Wilderness of dryness.’
You will need the following things to participate in today’s meditation:
‘The Wilderness of dryness.’ written by Miriam Kennedy.
Opening prayer:
God of peace in times of trouble- sit with me.
Jesus of healing in times of sickness- sit with me.
Spirit of community in times of scattering- sit with me.
(Silence for a few moments)
Isaiah 35: 1-4
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
Meditation
You are invited to focus you attention on the coffee granules, or simply imagine dry coffee beans or instant coffee.
Take notice of the coffee’s colour- brown, burnt, earthy.
Take notice how the dryness makes the granules seem individualistic.
Take notice of them as a collective- they are lacking in water so they can fulfill their purpose.
What are we/you in need of this week? What can God offer you to the dryness of life in the city?
(Silence 4 minutes)
You are now invited to focus you attention on the glass of water, or simply imagine a glass of water.
Take notice of the water's transparent quality- are there little bubbles collected on the side of the glass?
Take notice of the shapes, light and colours reflecting from the water.
Take notice of the water's ability to offer life, vitality and energy to those who feel parched.
What are we/you in need of this week? What can God offer you as a life giving drink?
(Silence 4 minutes)
And now you are invited to say this closing prayer aloud and either drink your glass of water, or make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Dwell in the process of this action of making yourself a drink.
May it offer you refreshment and allow you to blossom today.
Closing prayer:
May I walk forward in the hope and knowledge that God is here,
May we in these scattered times know of Jesus’ passion for community,
May the Holy Spirit breathe truths of grace and love to us as we meander onwards. Amen.
During lent we have been meeting in our quiet space of our church on Monday’s from 1pm-1.30pm for meditation. The hope was to offer local workers and residents a quiet place in the city to reflect, pray and encounter God. Since we are facing this challenging time with Covid-19 Corona Virus the meditations for the next two Monday’s will be going online.
Our theme for these meditations has been ‘The Wilderness of…’ and we have been focusing on 5 different topics which are relevant for lent and living in the city.
This weeks topic is ‘The Wilderness of dryness.’
You will need the following things to participate in today’s meditation:
- 1, A quiet place to sit. It may be your living room, garden, balcony or simply a comfortable chair.
- 2, A small amount of dry coffee granules, or simply your imagination.
- 3. A glass of water, or simply your imagination.
- A phone or laptop so you can see the outline of the meditation.
‘The Wilderness of dryness.’ written by Miriam Kennedy.
Opening prayer:
God of peace in times of trouble- sit with me.
Jesus of healing in times of sickness- sit with me.
Spirit of community in times of scattering- sit with me.
(Silence for a few moments)
Isaiah 35: 1-4
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
Meditation
You are invited to focus you attention on the coffee granules, or simply imagine dry coffee beans or instant coffee.
Take notice of the coffee’s colour- brown, burnt, earthy.
Take notice how the dryness makes the granules seem individualistic.
Take notice of them as a collective- they are lacking in water so they can fulfill their purpose.
What are we/you in need of this week? What can God offer you to the dryness of life in the city?
(Silence 4 minutes)
You are now invited to focus you attention on the glass of water, or simply imagine a glass of water.
Take notice of the water's transparent quality- are there little bubbles collected on the side of the glass?
Take notice of the shapes, light and colours reflecting from the water.
Take notice of the water's ability to offer life, vitality and energy to those who feel parched.
What are we/you in need of this week? What can God offer you as a life giving drink?
(Silence 4 minutes)
And now you are invited to say this closing prayer aloud and either drink your glass of water, or make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Dwell in the process of this action of making yourself a drink.
May it offer you refreshment and allow you to blossom today.
Closing prayer:
May I walk forward in the hope and knowledge that God is here,
May we in these scattered times know of Jesus’ passion for community,
May the Holy Spirit breathe truths of grace and love to us as we meander onwards. Amen.
A National Call to Prayer
Click here for - an invitation from Churches Together in England for this Sunday 22nd March to light a candle of hope.
Prayer for Today - Tuesday 17 March 2020
O Love most powerful grant us your strength. O Love most sweet let us taste your goodness. O Love most faithful let us rejoice in your presence. O Love most victorious persevere with us to the last; for Jesu's sake. Amen.
Gertrude of Helfta (1256-c.1302)
Weekly Meditation Group - Tuesday 17 March 2020
Welcome to the Meditation Group. As our building is closed we are offering a 'virtual' time of meditation. The following is the meditation for today. You are invited to look at the paining and then read the words by Sister Wendy Beckett. Then spend 25 minutes in silent meditation - focussing on the words or the painting or both. You may need to set a timer! At the end of the silence you are invited to write down any thoughts, reflections, ideas, etc. If you would like to share those privately with me then please feel free to do so by sending them via email or text.
Belinda Letby - Minister
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
Click here for - an invitation from Churches Together in England for this Sunday 22nd March to light a candle of hope.
Prayer for Today - Tuesday 17 March 2020
O Love most powerful grant us your strength. O Love most sweet let us taste your goodness. O Love most faithful let us rejoice in your presence. O Love most victorious persevere with us to the last; for Jesu's sake. Amen.
Gertrude of Helfta (1256-c.1302)
Weekly Meditation Group - Tuesday 17 March 2020
Welcome to the Meditation Group. As our building is closed we are offering a 'virtual' time of meditation. The following is the meditation for today. You are invited to look at the paining and then read the words by Sister Wendy Beckett. Then spend 25 minutes in silent meditation - focussing on the words or the painting or both. You may need to set a timer! At the end of the silence you are invited to write down any thoughts, reflections, ideas, etc. If you would like to share those privately with me then please feel free to do so by sending them via email or text.
Belinda Letby - Minister
belinda.letby@wlm.org.uk
075 2818 7006
The painting is Amédéé-David, Marquis de Pastoret, 1826 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
This is what Sister Wendy Beckett says about the painting:
The Illusion of Peace
Good is not a judgement we can make about ourselves. We instinctively react against Ingres’s young Marquis, who so obviously has a high opinion of himself. Whether he considers himself virtuous is not spelled out, but he stands before us with the restrained smirk of self-admiration. Those who are genuinely good always doubt their goodness. Peace does not depend upon anything, certainly not upon our own certainty of moral righteousness. It depends on humble desire (with the emphasis on humble) to do what is right. Ingres’s sitter, decorations prominent, simplicity of attire elegantly visible, hands electric with a sense of superiority, has a totally dependent kind of peace. Humiliation and failure would explode it, whereas true peace is impervious to events. Peace rests upon the decision always to struggle towards goodness, whatever our condition. In this light, one feels compassion for Amédéé-David, with all his spiritual disadvantages.
This is what Sister Wendy Beckett says about the painting:
The Illusion of Peace
Good is not a judgement we can make about ourselves. We instinctively react against Ingres’s young Marquis, who so obviously has a high opinion of himself. Whether he considers himself virtuous is not spelled out, but he stands before us with the restrained smirk of self-admiration. Those who are genuinely good always doubt their goodness. Peace does not depend upon anything, certainly not upon our own certainty of moral righteousness. It depends on humble desire (with the emphasis on humble) to do what is right. Ingres’s sitter, decorations prominent, simplicity of attire elegantly visible, hands electric with a sense of superiority, has a totally dependent kind of peace. Humiliation and failure would explode it, whereas true peace is impervious to events. Peace rests upon the decision always to struggle towards goodness, whatever our condition. In this light, one feels compassion for Amédéé-David, with all his spiritual disadvantages.