Matthew under the arm 69

For the first time on our pilgrimage, Columba and I entered a city. It had a beautiful Abbey church. We both stood in the nave, which was full of pilgrims gazing at the share height of the vaulting. Columba left me and went over to a mammoth pillar - and lay down on the paving! Embarrassing.... He put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs as if he were about to have a doze. I walked on not wanting to be associated with him! But it was too late. A pilgrim approached me and said, 'You're a friend of his, aren't you?' I felt like St Peter in the courtyard when he was asked whether he knew Jesus. Would I disown Columba? So I gritted my teeth and took the pilgrim by the elbow over to Columba. 'Lie down and look up!', Columba smiled. 'Come on! Don't worry about what others think!' So we did.... 'Imagine that we were looking up and we can see the whole of unknown and known Christians filling the huge space.' Columba jumped to his feet. 'Remember,' he said, 'Don't try too hard to get your Christianity right.... You can't do it without them.... or these!' 'Who are these?', I asked.... We walked back outside the Abbey... Beggars at the door... Columba sat down on the pavement with them and told jokes and gave them some bread. 'These!... yes... The Church...!' he laughed again.


Matthew 15:1-9....
Tradition has two creative functions. One is to keep us in touch with the 'stream of consciousness' in the activities and thoughts of our history as God is found in them. The other is to enable appropriate change to be made in the light of experience. For tradition to be maintained for its own sake can so often be a means by which an organisation, for fear of losing cudos and power, attempts to maintain control. History is littered with religious organisations becoming self-serving.

I would discover You in the experience of our forebears and in Your continuing revelation.

Have a conversation with someone you trust about that which makes you feel afraid. What habits do you hold on to out of fear? What affects do they have on others? In what ways do you feel free to be flexible with tradition for the service of others? In what ways is there is movement in your experience away from 'The Body of Christ' to seeing your spiritual journey purely in personal terms. Now enter into the silence with the sentence that you may be in touch with long tradition of contemplative prayer. Allow yourself to be challenged at depth, to be transformed so that you can help others to face change.

+Martin
Argyll and The Isles