Chair’s February Blog: I Arise Today Through the Strength of Heaven

There is wisdom in those who gather and give generously of themselves

By Anne Dixon

‘He has set fire and water before you,

put out your hand to whichever you prefer.’

Ecclesiasticus 15:16-21    

As the words of the first reading rang out during our celebration of Mass at a CPW weekend in Leeds this month, they sounded particularly apt for more than one reason. The rainwaters of Storm Dennis were hammering against the huge Victorian casements of our meeting room, making us glad to be warm and dry. On a deeper level, the words lingered for a moment, in the space, in our memory, offering us a choice, a dilemma. How would we know which was the right choice?

One way, our tradition tells us, is to seek wisdom; the ultimate guide to all life choices (Ecclesiasticus is also known as the Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sirach and is included in the Wisdom literature of the scriptures.) Wisdom is intended, like the prophetic tradition we were studying in Leeds, to steer us away from foolish and harmful actions. Our search for wisdom is unique to each of us. It can take a lifetime of mistakes to find it, or it can be startlingly present in the young. We are helped by our parents, those who teach us, our reading, and, most convincingly, by our own experiences.

‘The assumption behind proverbial wisdom is that experience teaches that creation contains inherent natural laws and that one must learn about these and conform to them in order for things to go well both for the individual and the community. At the heart of the inherent laws is the fundamental principle that goodness is a life-promoting force: life thrives when goodness is done.’

Joyce Rockwood Hudson, Natural Spirituality: Recovering the Wisdom Tradition in Christianity, p.244

Natural spirituality provides a prayerful method of considering our experiences through the filter of our dreams. Hudson suggests that we all have the ability to access this God-given, spirit-led wisdom, an approach which is ‘strongly supported by many scriptural passages throughout the Bible’. She invites us to adopt a discipline of noting down our dreams as they occur, and thus discover a rich source material to take into our prayer life.

The idea that discernment is something which ‘comes naturally’ is also considered by Tom Wright in his book Virtue Reborn. Using the example of Captain Sellenberger, who landed a passenger jet safely on the Hudson River in January 2009 after a flock of geese put the engines out of use, he suggests that experience plays its part too. To make the right choice requires the presence of virtue.

‘Virtue, in this strict sense, is what happens when someone has made a thousand small choices, requiring effort and concentration, to do something which is good and right but which doesn't “come naturally” – and then on the thousand and first time, when it really matters, they find that they do what's required “automatically” as we say.’

Tom Wright, Virtue Reborn, p.8

This would explain how some people seem to know, effortlessly, the right thing to do. They appear to be naturally wise, but, in reality, they have worked hard to achieve this state of mind. At the recent CPW weekend in Leeds, Lala Winkley wrote a deceptively simple version of the ‘prayer Jesus taught us’ (a copy is included in the Winter Weekend Report), including the plea, ‘Help us to know what you want of us at this time’. As we lay on the ground for morning prayer, she encouraged us to be thankful for the gift of hearing. She spoke the prayer and then played ‘The Deer's Cry’, surrounding us with the knowledge of Christ's presence all around us.

The next morning, back at home, I awoke to a moment of pure clarity. With the ‘Deer’s Cry’ still ringing in my ears from the dream, I knew exactly what I had to do about a difficult decision. I had to do the ‘right thing’. It was an issue of justice. Keenly focused, I sent two text messages which resulted in one meeting and one phone call later in the day. I was apprehensive. How would my new stance be received? I need not have worried. The call for a just response was greeted positively. As I write, the story remains unfinished, but I am convinced that the decision was the right one, that ‘goodness was done’.

CPW, when gathered, can be part of our discernment process. For those with ‘ears to hear’, there is wisdom in abundance in the words, thoughts, actions and experiences of those who gather and give generously of themselves. Let the anniversary begin, we have much to celebrate!

The Deer's Cry

I arise today through the strength of heaven
Light of sun, radiance of moon
Splendour of fire, speed of lightning
Swiftness of wind, depth of the sea
Stability of earth, firmness of rock

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me
God's eye to look before me
God's wisdom to guide me
God's way to lie before me
God's shield to protect me

From all who shall wish me ill
Afar and a-near
Alone and in a multitude
Against every cruel, merciless power
That may oppose my body and soul

Christ with me, Christ before me
Christ behind me, Christ in me
Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ on my right, Christ on my left
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down
Christ when I arise, Christ to shield me

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me

I arise today.