4 February 2022

 

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” - James 4:10
"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow" - old English proverb

Spring is a season of hope. As the travel writer, Ernest Hemingway once wrote: "...the river will flow again after it was frozen..." - spring brings forth new life and thus brings hope of sunnier and more colourful landscapes. It is the season of new starts and ideas bursting from the ground like the return of daffodils, blue bells and grass. 

Last week, we commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day which gives us all a chance to remember the past, learn more about it and empathise with others today. We can then take action for a better future - a fresh start. One of the victims of this terrible time was Anne Frank. In her diary, she wrote that those who could should: "...go outside, to the country, enjoy the sun and all nature has to offer. Go outside and try to recapture the happiness within yourself; think of all the beauty in yourself and in everything around you and be happy."

Our mission today is to go out for a walk - especially if you are working from home or stuck in an office/school all day- and enjoy God's creation. 

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether  thrones or  dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created  through him and for him". - Colossians 1:16

Let us ponder the poem below by William Wordsworth: 

 I wandered lonely as a cloud

 I wandered lonely as a cloud
 That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
 When all at once I saw a crowd,
 A host, of golden daffodils;
 Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
 Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 Continuous as the stars that shine
 And twinkle on the milky way,
 They stretched in never-ending line
 Along the margin of a bay:
 Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
 Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

 The waves beside them danced; but they
 Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
 A poet could not but be gay,
 In such a jocund company:
 I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
 What wealth the show to me had brought:

 For oft, when on my couch I lie
 In vacant or in pensive mood,
 They flash upon that inward eye
 Which is the bliss of solitude;
 And then my heart with pleasure fills,
 And dances with the daffodils.
                                                      William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850)

The poem above encompasses the thoughts of the poet after he has wandered over the hills with their never-ending row of enchanting flowers. They impressed him so much that he compares them with the sparkling stars of the galaxy. He is captivated by the startling view of nature. This everlasting impact, triggered by nature, often serves as a delight for the poet, when he feels low or lonely at home. 

Likewise, we should remember that nature carries on and spring is returning.

Let us pray…

Dear Mother earth,
Who day by day unfolds rich blessing on our way,
O Praise God! Alleluia!
The fruits and flowers that verdant grow,
Let them his praise abundant show.
O praise God, O praise God, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
- Saint Francis

Saint Jude, pray for us. 

Mr Matthew Betts

             

Image credit: pelyte

                

 

                 

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