Matthew under the arm 102

[So sorry... I've been away so much recently...I must learn to do this blog on my little PDA...!] An old lady in this village, sold medicines that some people found helpful. Columba had an infected heel as a result of a huge bluster, which he had not looked after properly, silly man! So we stood in the queue to see the esteemed lady. There in front of us was anargument. Three men were leaning across the counter and wagging their fingers at the old lady, telling her that she ought to sell their potions as hers were old fashioned and probably useless. What they didn't know is that the old lady listened to people, almost as if the medicines she gave out (freely!) were beside the point. Columba couldn't resist it any longer. He went to the front of the queue, got hold of three men and asked them to leave. No he didn't ask...he shouted 'Out!' The old lady looked at Columba's heel. She sucked her teeth and looked at him. 'I know. I know.' Columba sighed. Matthew 21:12-17…. This act of assertiveness, if not aggression, challenges the perception of Jesus as emotionally controlled. But high-jacking people, no matter how surreptitiously, for the sale of goods or for their adherence misses the point. Sacred places are for prayer and not for canvassing, persuasion or indeed proselytism for that matter. Proselytism can so often be a mask for the execution of power based on fear. The one who prays comes in to a church in order to offer him or herself, not to become an object of marketing. Although Sacred Places must be attractive trough the reflective arts and architecture, they are not entertainment centres attracting custom. Children shouting is not often encouraged in sacred places. Jesus encourages it because it is the simple and direct offering of their lives. Let the sacredness of place and of time be a focus of your pilgrimage into My Holiness Sacred places are not always easy to find. Often they are beset with the need for survival or become centres of business. But that is also true of your inner life. In your imagination, invite Jesus to enter your life and kick over a few bits of ‘furniture’ (or even 'people'!) that clutter your soul. Perhaps he might throw out of your heart the grasping desires that create distraction and even pain. Your heart is a sacred space. Use the sentence so that Christ can reclaim it for the holiness of your pilgrimage. +Martin Argyll and The Isles