The Parish Magazine
for the church
of
St. Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe
June,
2009
Not the Vicar’s Letter June 09
I guess this will probably be the
last but one ‘Not the Vicar’s letter’, because we look forward, in the
September edition of this magazine, to having the real thing. For, by then, we
will have a real Vicar! Andrew’s licensing is to be held on 6th
August – a most thought-provoking date. Many of you will recognise 6th
August as the Feast of the Transfiguration, and you may recall the comments I
made on that wonderfully mysterious biblical story in a pre-Lenten sermon,
subsequently published in the April magazine. But, of course, 6th
August is a date which will live in history as signalling another kind of
Transfiguration – it is the day in 1945 when the first atomic bomb was dropped
on the Japanese city of
In his book, ‘The Darkness of
God: Theology after Hiroshima’, published in the early ‘80s, a time when we
were being urged by ‘civil defence’ pamphlets, should the Russians launch a
nuclear strike, to whitewash our windows and take refuge under the stairs (!),
Jim Garrison quoted Arthur Koestler: “If I were asked
to name the most important date in the history of the human race, I would
answer without hesitation, 6th August 1945. From the dawn of
consciousness until
We need to ensure that we, and particularly our young people some of whom may not yet be able to discern the difference, are not seduced by these distorted lights that constantly surround us, vigorously and amorally promoted as they are by various media. Our Christian faith stands for real transfiguration – ‘from glory to glory’, and I have no doubt that, with Andrew’s faithful leadership, we will be enabled to further develop our shared vocation to be real beacons of the light of Christ in this place.
Peter Shepherd
TOWN MAYOR’S CIVIC SERVICE
On Sunday the 7th June we shall welcome the
new Mayor of Clitheroe Councillor Mary Robinson and the Council to Church at
11-0a.m. for a service at the beginning of her mayoral year.
The
service will be an opportunity to pray and worship with those charged with the
management of the affairs of our town.
It
is quite some time since we have been privileged to have such a service at St.
Mary’s and it is hoped many will support the service. We are told our church
can seat 650 so let us see if this figure is correct by filling every seat.
In
Clitheroe we are extremely fortunate in living here so let us join with our
Mayor as we celebrate our togetherness and pray that God will bless those in
positions of authority in our town.
MAYOR’S SERVICE
It is a number of years since the Mayor of Clitheroe has
held the Mayor’s service at St. Mary’s.
The new Mayor,
Councillor Mary Robinson, has kindly invited our own Canon Jim be her chaplain
for the year. It was therefore decided to hold the Mayoral Service at St.
Mary’s on Sunday the 4thJune at 11a.m.
We shall hold
our usual Parish Communion Service at 9-30 a.m. as we did on Palm Sunday.
As a church we
are more than happy to be involved in the life of our town and community and we
hope our regular worshippers will be able to support the Mayor and the Civic
Authorities.
During her year
of office the Mayor’s Charities will be focussed on youth and we hope that
young people will be involved in the service. It is hoped the service itself
will reflect the life of our town and community which we treasure and which we
pray will continue to flourish, with the help of God.
The Mace Bearer
“Sacred To The
Memory of John HARRIS who filled the office of mace bearer for this borough 63
years and died December 16th 1843 in the 85th year of his
age”
John Harris was a Clitheronian through and through. There have been Harrises associated with the town since the thirteenth
century when John de Herice witnessed the Charter
which Henry de Lacy gave to the Borough in 1283. A William Herris
was a burgess in the seventeenth century and several Harrises
appear in eighteenth century records. John Harris the mace-bearer was the
second son of William Harris of Clitheroe and probably grandson or
great-grandson of the William Harris who was Town Serjeant
at the end of the seventeenth century. John was baptised in St. Mary
Magdalene’s in 1759, and married there to Dinah Leatham
in 1794 when he was 35 and she 21 years of age. At the end of his life he still
lived in Clitheroe, in
John seems to have served
Clitheroe in many capacities including the interesting one of Ale Taster. In
1795 he was also Market Looker and Tryer of Weights. He was one of the four Appraisers of
Distress and was responsible for dressing the town’s three wells. Presuma
bly this meant keeping them clean rather than garlanding
them with flowers.
Clitheroe had no paid police force until the mid nineteenth century but the October Court Leet of 1799 appointed John Harris as sworn constable, “he to have 2 guineas for his wage”.
An article in the Preston
Guardian of about 1870 entitled “Recollections of Clitheroe by an East
Lancashire Man” recalls that John Harris kept alive the tradition of walking
the boundary of the Borough of Clitheroe which he did with the scholars of the
But it was as Town Serjeant and Mace Bearer that John Harris served the longest. The Town Serjeant was appointed by the two Bailiffs (rather like joint Mayors) to attend them, to summon juries (gatherings of burgesses for various purposes including deciding who had the right to vote for the Borough’s two Members of Parliament), to execute the process of the Borough Court of Pleas at which the Bailffs ruled on actions which arose within the Borough, and often he was also the town gaoler. The Town Serjeant was also known as the Serjeant-at-Mace and usually carried the mace on civic occasions. Cyril Ainsworth lists John Nowell as Town Serjeant from 1780 to 1794, but according to John Harris’s gravestone he carried the mace from 1780 until his death in 1843. Perhaps John Nowell deputed his mace-bearing duties to John Harris who then succeeded him in office as Town Serjeant.
The Mace carried by John Harris is the same one carried today by Town Serjeant Roger Hirst or Mayor’s Attendant Keith Jackson – neither of whom has to act as town gaoler in this twenty-first century! It was given to the Borough of Clitheroe in 1672 by the second Duke of Albemarle, Lord of the Honour of Clitheroe, and sixteen out-burgesses (landed men who owned property in the town and played a part in its government but who lived outside its boundaries). Christopher Monck, second Duke of Albemarle, was the son of General Monck who had been given the Honour of Clitheroe by Charles II in recognition of the part he played in the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. The mace is of silver gilt, 52 inches long and has been carried by a long line of Clitheronians, one of whom now lies buried in a sunny spot in the south churchyard, only feet from where the Mayor’s procession will pass on its way to the Civic Service on June 7th.
Patricia Duxbury
Unusual Journeys of Faith 21st and
“From Wanderer to Pilgrim.”
Rev Marie Crook,
Marie introduced her talk by saying it was about a very ordinary person and an extraordinary God, about a journey with a God who showed faithfulness and patience, about “footprints in the snow”* and the experience of being carried. But Marie is no ordinary person.
She had a Catholic upbringing and was educated at a convent junior school where she was confirmed. But she married an Anglican husband and chose to leave the Catholic Church. One day in church she felt a great “presence.” This was quite different from her experiences in catholic churches where she had never even spoken to the priest. This was her first experience of God, a god who was very patient and waits for the right time and place.
At about this time she was invited to attend a meeting of Women’s Aglow (see http://www.aglow.org.uk/), a Pentecostal movement transcending denominational boundaries. The worship was wonderful but even more wonderful were the silences. “She was hooked.” She met Jesus and fell in love with Him. This was the beginning of her wandering. She knelt down and asked God “Where would you like me to go?” This took place two weeks before Easter and she experienced Good Friday for the first time in an Anglican church. There she discovered that not only did she love Jesus but in turn Jesus loved her.
The vicar asked her to consider being a lay reader. It took her six months to decide. She argued with God and explained why it was not possible for her to become a reader. God said “My grace is sufficient.” So Marie said “Yes.”
Then she was called to ordination. But that is another story.
The notes above cover some of the things Marie said. They do
nothing to convey her extraordinary nature and bubbly personality. Her faith is
her whole life. She would be a wonderful person to know, nearly as wonderful as
knowing Jesus.
*This is a very well known story about a man at the end of his life looking back on his journey with God through the snow. There were two sets of footprints for most of the way, but at times of sorrow or distress there was only one set. To God he said “Why did you leave me when I needed you most?” To which God replied “In those times of sorrow and distress I carried you.”
“From Politics.”
The Revd. Canon Dick Cartmell gave us a most uncomfortable message.
Whatever halting words I am able to write below will do nothing to convey his overriding passion. An avowed socialist and a member of “Old Labour” his sympathy is always for the underdog. Whether it is the leper peering through the squint at St. Peter’s Heysham or the mason crafting a stone for Lincoln Cathedral he put them way ahead of the Dean and Chapter.
He likened our journey through life to the mystery tours which used to be arranged by the railway companies. You can never see where you are going but when you arrive you can see that the hand of God had been guiding you.
He was born in
Dick had a fairly unhappy childhood during which he was made to attend elocution lessons and play the violin. Having failed most of his exams he went to sea as an assistant cook – not a great success. The cook was no good at cooking unless he was drunk which indeed he was most of the time.
Strange things began to happen to Dick. He began to go to
church in
He got involved in the Fylde Community Service who distributed clothes to people who needed them and helped with gardening and decorating.
There is a gap in the narrative here because he was eventually ordained and seconded to Durham Prison. There he met people who had lead horrendous lives but he learned from them about the nature of God.
The talk ended abruptly leaving me at any rate rather shaken.
We listened to a CD with songs about the stonemasons and the lepers.
You should have been there.
Tony Goodbody
Chairman’s notes on the Annual Parochial Church Meeting April 2009.
Congratulations
to Pat Gorrill and Colin Scott on being re-elected as
Church Wardens for the Coming year – we look forward seeing their friendly
faces welcoming us as we arrive in church.
It was good
to welcome parishioners to what was a very special Annual Parochial Church
Meeting as we look forward to the imminent licensing of our new Priest in
Charge, Rev Andrew Froud. He will be a new broom with his own unique
personality, which will register in time within the fabric of St. Mary’s – just
as previous vicars have done down the centuries.
We looked at
how we are preparing for his arrival and recognised what has been achieved so
far:-
The
Churchwardens report that the church is in good order with the roof and
organ rebuild completed and paid for.
Some corrosion has been discovered in some cramps in the spire and a
thorough investigation is to be made to discover the extent of the damage and
the cost of putting it right.
The Vicarage
is the responsibility of the Diocese and renovations are now well underway. A car parking area is planned at the bottom of
the garden with access from RVBC car park, this to be
shared with adjoining properties.
There are
also plans to build a study and facilities on the site of the present garage.
On the
worship front - there is a warmth of welcome in our services –
there is depth and breadth in our style
of worship from the simple sermons directed at our younger members to the “make
you stop and think” sermons.
In the
Worship Report Rev Canon Dr Peter Shepherd gave his views on the number of
communicants and the quality and authenticity of worship - asking that
churchgoers think about the symbolism of “dunking” the Eucharistic bread rather than
sharing the wine with fellow communicants – which is a hugely important symbol,
intrinsic to our Anglican tradition.
Whilst he agreed with the provision of service sheets, he asked that
people not follow them slavishly, rather listen to the readings/prayers turning
pages after they are completed – rustling of paper can be very offputting to the readers.
His final plea was to ask the congregation to sit towards the front of
the church which would give a more family feel to the service, and help with
the hymn singing.
Finally, he
asked that when parents bring children to be Baptised both they and the
congregation think about the promises they are making with regard to the future
of the child within the church family.
If children are only
brought to church to be baptised, never to be seen again, what
can parents/members of the congregation do to fulfil these promises. Peter thought the parents should be offered
more in the way of preparation for the baptism, encouraging them to maintain
contact with the church family.
The
The
activities of the Deanery Synod were reported – meetings take place in various
churches within the Deanery and included talks by “The Dialogue Development
Officer” at Blackburn Cathedral, Ms Anjum Anwar, MBE; Peter Jelley, Whalley Deanery Lay Chairman; and the Rt. Rev. John
Goddard, Bishop of Burnley.
Financially
– It was said that in the past we have been left legacies to the point where we
have not recognised that our level of giving is inadequate compared to other
churches in the Diocese. In
effect we have been capital rich and giving poor. We have too long depended on capital which
has now dwindled to the point where there will soon be nothing left - even
without the recession.
Realising
this, it was reported that during the interregnum the
A most
unusual event then occurred – an election for new
Pat Gorrill thanked the Sidesmen who had served for the past
year; and then proposed those who have agreed to act as Sidesmen for the coming
year, who were unanimously elected.
The Trustees
of the Parish Hall (St. Mary’s Centre) confirmed that the position regarding
the sale of the Hall had not changed – they hope to sell the building when the
time is right. Until then, a Management
Committee had been formed under the leadership of Richard Jackson who look
after the day to day running of the Hall.
Richard then made a comprehensive statement regarding the Hall, plans
for improvements and it’s healthy financial situation,
outlining plans for increased usage.
The
activities of the Sunday School were reported showing
an enthusiastic group of both children and teachers who took part in many
activities during the year in addition to religious instruction. Recently, the meeting place has been changed
to the Vestry which is more convenient, but needs more planning with regard to
setting up for the session. Each child received Christmas and birthday presents, with
book tokens as a reward for regular attendance – these extras are paid for from
interest on a bequest left for the particular use of the Sunday School.
Music at St.
Mary’s is now showing healthy prospects for growth and a wider range of
concerts such as “Showcasing Young Talent”, G&S,
and Jazz are being considered for the
coming year.
As the PCC elected me to be their Chairman for the duration of the
interregnum, it has fallen to me to Chair the Standing Committee, the PCC and the Hall Trustees through a time when one couldn’t
say “what do you think, Vicar?” – when divergent views
were put forward. Instead a democratic acceptance of the common cause has been
developed.
Concluding
- all the volunteers, both existing and neww were thanked for their support.
Working together promotes a continuing and unique spirit of belonging plus an
opportunity to serve, which has always characterised church life as we have
known it.
Those who
were elected to join the
At this
meeting the traditional “thanks to the Vicar” could not be expressed but all
agreed the lack of a Vicar would not be apparent to visitors to St Mary’s
because
So thank you
Peter for your challenging and thought provoking spiritual leadership and to
all those who have assisted in maintaining our Church and it’s
Worship during the past ten months.
Paul Duck,
Chairman
LADIES GROUP REPORT FOR JUNE PARISH MAGAZINE.
The Group would like to thank members of the congregation
for supporting the Spring Fair on May 3rd which made
............................ and a good
time was had by all. A portion of this
money is needed to help the Group finances, and some will be passed on to
charities. It will be decided during the
June brings the last meeting of the Spring/Summer session on the 9th of the month. This will be held at the Calves Head, Worston where we shall hold the annual Summer Lunch. If any member who would like to come hasn’t made contact yet – please ring Pat, Kathleen or Jean by Friday 5th June.
Before we begin to think about meetings during the Autumn however, we are fortunate that two members have
opened their gardens for afternoon tea parties/bring & buy during July and
August. We shall meet at the home of
Erica Pollit on Tuesday, July 21st and the
home of Kathleen Carlton on Tuesday August 18th – both commencing at
Autumn/Winter meetings of the Group commence on Tuesday,
September 8th with a talk on Health & Healing by a member of the
Bhodi Tree establishment. The Group meet in the Mutual Room of St.
Mary’s Centre on alternate Tuesdays, all meetings commence at
Jean Duck,
Chairman.
My Favourite Hymn
“When I needed a Neighbour” by Sydney Carter
This month’s favourite hymn has been chosen by Clitheroe’s Mayor, Councillor Mary Robinson and it is to be included in the Civic Service on June 7th.
Both the music
and the words of “When I needed a neighbour” were written in the 1960s by the
Quaker folk poet and songwriter Sydney Carter. Carter was born in
The words of “When I needed a Neighbour” are based on the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew, Chapter 25. Jesus says to the nations gathered before him, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” The song recounts the things we can do for others as listed in the parable: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless, and healing the sick; and ends with the promise of Jesus, “Wherever you travel I’ll be there” which is perhaps Sydney Carter’s way of putting the very last words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, “And surely I am with you, to the very end of the age.”
Why has Mary chosen this hymn? She feels that the words mean a great deal, and if only we would listen to what we are singing and put it into practice, the world would have far fewer problems.
Patricia Duxbury
A SEASONAL NOTE FROM JOHN
THE GARDENER
Spring is
almost over and the interregnal before summer is coming to a close. Such a
blooming we had has left much tidying up to do. Looking ahead to an even better
spring next year needs a degree of replanting and perhaps the introduction of
more varieties. Lack of time probably outstrips my ambition, hey ho there’s
always next year.
Summer
plantings are our next priority. Thanks to your generous financial support we
have replanted the damaged roses and increased their number along the entrance
path borders and introduced some new hollyhocks. I am looking forward to a good
show. We intend to plant annuals on the approach to the church as well as on
the island beds. If anyone has surplus to requirement seedlings a good home can
be readily provided for them.
Lastly a
reminder that “Garden Days” will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from
Thanks once
more for the help I have received.
John the
Gardener
Christianity
at the centre of
Several Years ago, the Ordinance
Survey carried out an exercise to find the village or town at the centre of
What is also remarkable is the
history behind the only two churches in the village. The largest and most
prominent is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Hubert. The Anglican
In later years the land ownership
changed to the Duchy of Lancaster and North West Water. Land sales for Forestry
Commission plantations in the 1940s meant that workers’ houses were required in
the village. This influx of workers from outside the area gave rise to the need
for an Anglican church. To meet this need the Duchy of Lancaster Estates
organised and financed the conversion of a redundant cowshed in the village
into a church for the local community. One of the features of the church is
that the communion rail is made out of cattle stalls. The altar was recycled
from Dalehead church which was demolished during the
construction of Stocks Resevoir.
The village and churches are
worth a visit if travelling in the area. The village can be found on an
unclassified road that cuts across the moor land. Take the A59 from
John Cannon.
The author has kindly given
permission for the article to be reprinted from the St. Mathew’s Church
Magazine, Torquay. Our thanks are due to Gene Holmes and her sister Cicely who
arranged for the article to be made available.
THE OTHER DIOCESAN
We have heard a good deal recently about the diocesan link
with
the Free State in South Africa, which is fine, especially as three
of
our young ladies have been accepted to join the Youth Pilgrimage to
South Africa.
But how many of us are aware of the other Diocesan Link?
This is
with a
deaneries of the large diocese of Braunschweig
(sometimes called
The link is still quite young, being formed soon after the
signing
of the Porvoo Declaration in 1995, which set out the
main tenets of
our faith and those of the
churches could work together, as we do with the other churches in
Clitheroe, and that a Lutheran minister could celebrate the Holy
Communion in an Anglican church, like ours.
No doubt we have all heard of Martin Luther King, the
American
evangelist, but Martin Luther was born in 1483 in
monk and a Bible scholar. His studies led him to
believe that the
church of his day made it too difficult for the ordinary person to
approach God. He believed that everyone should
be taught that a
believer can come directly to God in prayer, and that everyone should
be able to read the Bible in his own native language. For this reason,
over some 12 to 14 years, he made a translation of the whole Bible in
what he called "the language of the market place," not that of
the
lecture-hall.
This is the man who tried to reform the church from within
but
failed and so founded the
in
If you have the chance to attend a
Lutheran service it may well
seem somewhat strange, though there are great variations. In
clergy wear no distinguishing mark, like a clerical collar when out
and about, but for church they wear a long black cloak,like
an
academic gown, over a black suit. Everyone stands for the prayers and
sits for hymns. The organ music, before and after, is an important
part of the service, and everyone listens attentively. The sermon is
generally quite long, because teaching is also very important.
Some day I will tell you about the link at our end.
K.W.
Why was
St. James Clitheroe built?
Stephen Clarke, in his book “Clitheroe in its Old Coaching Days” states that in 1839, when Dr. Walter Powell, a staunch Evangelical clergyman, was headmaster of the Grammar School, the congregation of St. Mary Magdalene appreciated his wonderful preaching so much that they built a new church, St. James, so that they might hear him more regularly.
This has always struck me as a slightly odd statement.
Now that I have read
that Mr. Arthur Langshaw, in his “Child’s History of
Clitheroe,” gives a rather different and altogether more plausible, account. In
the 1830s the
Following the passing of the New Parishes Act (or Blandford Act) in 1856, St. James was authorised to conduct weddings in 1861. However, being only a district of the “Parochial Chapelry” of Clitheroe (i.e. St. Mary Magdalene) fees were payable to the Vicar of St. Mary’s. The anomaly was put right in 1865 when St. James became a parish.
Source: St. James Commemorative Newspaper published in 1989 on the 150th Anniversary of the consecration.
Courage to die for You
There is brutal
persecution of Christians today in many parts of the world. To them the prayer of a man who died nearly
18 centuries ago would be very relevant.... Cyprian of
We believe and trust, Lord, that at the time of terrible persecution, you will hear and answer our prayers with the utmost urgency. We pray with all our hearts that you will give us courage to remain true to the gospel, and proclaim your name right up till the moment of death. Then may we emerge from the snares of this world with our souls unscathed, and rise from the darkness of the world into your glorious light.
**
CC. June 09
“Prayer is thinking” (see last month’s ‘Corner’); it is “fully human thinking”; it is passionate, compassionate, responsible and thankful thinking. I am not saying these four ways of thinking represent four different kinds of prayer (although each may tend towards a particular focus); rather they are four kinds of thinking which have the potential to be, or to become, what we call prayer. Imagine them, if you will, as the four sides of a square, the whole of which is prayer.
We can just think; but we can also think passionately: a kind of thinking that “enters feelingly into the world and knows itself deeply involved in all that goes on there” (John Macquarrie ‘Paths in Spirituality’). This is not just a matter of thinking about what is the case; it is thinking about what ought to be the case; it may be contrasted with dispassionate thinking, whereby our thinking is detached and analytical, as when considering how to deal with a practical problem. It is the kind of thinking which searches “for values among the facts, for ideals among the phenomena”. This kind of thinking “is sometime intermingled with painful longing and desire as it catches the vision of what might be and longs for its realisation; sometimes it is suffused with joy and thankfulness as it recognises great achievement or great horizons of hope and possibility; sometimes it is tinged with shame as we acknowledge that so much of the world’s grief and pain has come about” because of us, our commissions and our omissions! It ought to be clear that this kind of thinking is not limited to those of us who have a religious faith and, perhaps, when engaged in by the non-religious we might wish to talk about their being on the threshold of prayer (presumably some religious faith is required before the threshold is actually crossed, because God must always be the proper focus of prayer). As such, it is clear that passionate thinking, which has the capacity to lead us across the threshold into prayer, is simply a very human way of expressing our often inchoate longings and ideals. In Christian terms it is, in particular, a longing for the coming of God’s Kingdom, for which we pray regularly in the Lord’s Prayer. We might, then, regard passionate thinking as the foundation stone of prayer; a foundation stone accessible to all, although some may decline to build much further.
Compassionate thinking arises from the passionate. It is the next step. An essential element of prayer is our learning (eventually) to turn away from what are just our own desires and agendas, as we seek to align ourselves with God’s. This ‘going out’ away from ourselves (moving, we might say, from self-centredness to God-centredness) quite naturally enables us to recognise and become involved in the needs of the other person – to stand alongside him or her; to share their feelings and their aspirations. It is, says, Macquarrie, “a dwelling with reality in the sense of a compassionate confrontation in thought with human beings in their actual situations”. As such it is quite the opposite from that refusal to face up to real life, with which some people charge us when they ask: ‘what use is praying?’. Its most obvious ‘religious’ form is intercessory prayer, although it would be wrong to see this kind of prayer as just an expression of our feelings for the one in need. As Christians, we pray for the other, not only because we feel for them, nor even because (as ‘com-passion’ suggests) we are prepared to stand alongside them and share in their suffering, but because we actually believe that God involves himself in that situation. Not in the crude sense (as it so often seems) that we are trying to remind God, in case he’s forgotten, about our friend Joe or, indeed, because we are attempting to manipulate God into taking action that he might not otherwise take unless we asked. Rather it is about providing “openings into the dense texture of the human situation through which can come the creative and healing power of the reality we call God; and because within that human situation our lives are all bound together in a mysterious solidarity, then God’s power is able to operate far beyond the particular person who offers the prayer, though through him”. In such prayer, we engage with, we cooperate with God in focusing our minds and loving intentions through him on those in need; this not only “helps to make the human reality porous to the divine reality”, but it also prompts us to take whatever actions we can to contribute to healing, peace, justice and reconciliation. Compassionate thinking, therefore, “is dangerous for anyone who wants to stay wrapped up in himself”! When we think compassionately, we too became vulnerable and exposed. It is a truly courageous kind of prayer.
Responsible thinking is also the kind of thinking that takes us out of ourselves (and, perhaps, in that sense is truly ‘ek-static’). If, as Macquarrie points out, “responsibility is answerability”, then this kind of thinking/prayer is one in which we recognise the call of God to act in particular situations in order to make those situations better. It is our sense of responsibility before God that compels us to make the prayer that his will be done. That requires not only that we always seek to discern what God’s will is in any given situation (as opposed to our own!); but, having discerned it, to act upon it, even if that is not convenient for us, or may get us into trouble! In responsible thinking, the prayer is likely to include the action. Responsible thinking is, at heart, considerate thinking, because to engage in it, we must always consider others. But to be transformed into prayer, it also involves that thinking to take place explicitly in the presence of God, that in so doing we are enabled to recognise his gracious love for us, and for those for whom we pray. It is then, of course, when we have truly discerned the call and the grace of God, that we feel the overwhelming need to give thanks: to think thankfully. That is the whole purpose of the Eucharist – that central act of Christian thanksgiving, which should suffuse and transform our lives. Thankful thinking is, then, the proper and natural culmination of all our thinking.
But what of those who are not religious, or who are not sure about what they believe? As I’ve indicated above: to relate prayer to thinking makes it a completely ‘normal’ human activity, not just the special preserve of the spiritually advanced. We all have the potential to be passionate, to show compassion, to live responsibly and to be thankful for the blessing of life, although, of course, we may – for whatever reason – fail to realise this aspect of our common humanity. But for those of us who recognise God’s involvement in all this, it is a short step to understand that God engages with us in this serious thinking whether we choose to realise it or not. We caricature prayer when we imagine it only in terms or emergency signals ‘sent up’ whenever we need help. All serious-minded people have the prayerful instinct. In Macquarrie’s words: “To pray is to think in such a way that we dwell with reality, and faith’s name for reality is God”.
Peter Shepherd