Day 4 - Issue 26
1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT
'Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God…'
One of the lovely things about St Cuthbert’s Oratory are the many stories our visitors bring with them. As we eat together around the table, a candle burning as a reminder that all we do is in the eternal presence of God, I listen to stories of great heroism in the most formidable of circumstances. Tears may come to my eyes as I begin to grasp the pain of separation and loss, of sexual abuse experienced as a child or as an adult. I laugh as the preposterous nature of human pride exposes human frailty. Life is rich and encompasses good and bad for every one of us. The remarkable thing is that we are each so resilient and, where we choose to, we are able to turn trauma into a springboard to a fuller Christian experience.
Despite the pain in so many stories, there is warmth and joy that fills the Oratory. The practices individuals have discovered to navigate all of life are remarkable and provide tremendous learning points. Much of our learning emerges from our mistaken attitudes and actions. Yet, the final fruit and fruitfulness that is born of experience can be rich and nourishing.
Fellowship, by which I mean sitting, listening and learning from each other, is a great gift from God. In hearing of the mistakes made by others, it encourages me for I know the numerous mistakes I’ve made myself. That God is forgiving and accepting, never losing sight of me no matter how often I lose sight of him, is in itself a meditation of great value. Yes, there’s sadness, yet we don’t need to bury such sadness beneath a mountain of victory reports. Scripture is the greatest tale of redeemed human tragedy.
Our Oratory practice is to be upbeat about the apparently downbeat. It is to discern God personally and together in all of life’s realities and to affirm the biblical message of hope. Even as that hope begins its life as a tiny mustard seed, nourished and nurtured it will grow and offer encouragement, inspiration and a provocation to others to continue in their walk of faith.
QUESTION: Where do you find fellowship where you can share and learn together?
PRAYER: Thank you, Father, for the family you have given me, your Church.
