Tag Archives: Thanks

Along the Watchtower

16 Monday May 2016

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My thanks to Neo for his kind remarks about the blog – and to all the contributors and commentators. In a way it would have been better had I called it ‘Noah’s ark’ in which, you will recall, all manner of creatures were collected. It doesn’t surprise me that some people find writer x or y an odd ‘fit’ with the others – we came together on no more advanced principle than that people who felt some kind of affinity to this place and wanted to write were welcome to do so.

As Neo reminds us, there have been ups and downs, and what with attempted censorship, my illness and people popping in and out, the wonder is we’re still here. I looked back at some of the earlier posts, and felt quite nostalgic at some of the bloggers who have come and gone since then, including some of our contributors. No one will, I hope, mind if I pay an especial tribute to Geoffrey Sales, who at times kept the blog going all by himself. I hope, too, no one will feel slighted if I pay a heartfelt tribute to Chalcedon451 who has kept the ship afloat despite his own heavy workload.

This place remains what it began as – namely a place where those who take Christianity seriously, can read a variety of views on our Faith. It is one of the few places where Roman Catholicism on the edge of Sedevacantism to evangelical Protestantism on the edge of California can be encountered in the same place. This can cause discomfort, but if we cannot bear to read views which differ from our own, the Internet offers many refuges. This is not and was never meant to be a ‘safe space’. My own views are too eclectic to satisfy traditionalists or liberals; I don’t claim that makes me ‘right’, but it may make me not atypical of a certain type of Anglican. I am grateful to those commentators who put up with my enthusiasms, and for those who want to read their party line, well they are as free to write it up as I am – as this is a Christian and not a denominational blog.

This place exists to allow Christians of all persuasions to express their views. It is not about syncretism – no one is required to abjure any view they hold – but it is about toleration – which can be ironic given the intolerance Christians have shown in the past – and even now. But at our best, we witness to the Truth of a God who is Love, and who through that love reached out to us though we were lost in chains of sin, and who suffered, died, was buried and rose again so that through him we should have the prospect of eternal life.

We are, all of us, on a pilgrimage, and now we see as through a glass darkly, and even the wisest of us (especially, perhaps the wisest of us who understands this) sees but glimpses of the Divine and the Infinite. But we have His light which leads us on. If parts of it gleam fitfully here, that is as much as we can hope for.

In what he wrote yesterday Neo referred to the vicissitudes of the past four years from my own point of view, and I am sure that each of us here has had their own. But the small community gathered here has persevered – and if it be His will, will continue.

Our year on the Watchtower

31 Thursday Dec 2015

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Thanks to Gareth Thomas for the photograph

The recently posted review of the year gives the bare bones of our statistics, but here I want to put some flesh on those bones.

New Years’ Eve is an appropriate moment to thank those who write and read this blog. This has been a hectic year for AATW. The departure of Jessica coincided with the need to take the blog private for a while, and there was more than one moment during that period when it was unclear whether we would continue. We did. I am grateful to all those who signed up when we went private, as well as to my fellow contributors here, not least Geoffrey, Neo and Dave Smith, but all played their part, and we ought to note that quiavideruntoculi holds the record for the most popular post. This is an unusual place as it encompasses the widest possible range of Christian beliefs, and we have had posts from an Orthodox point of view from orthodoxgirl99 (from whom we’d welcome more), and, at the other end, from Bosco with his, shall we say, unique ‘take’. Rob and Geoffrey provide, as has Nicholas (who is much missed), a broadly Evangelical perspective, with Neo offering a Lutheran one, whilst myself, Dave and quiavideruntoculi offer a Catholic one, even if mine tends to be a little Anglican tinged for some.

We have missed some old friends, and if they are reading, thank you, and you are always welcome back. On which theme, of old friends we do not forget, it was a particular delight to welcome back Struans who brought with him news of his reception into the Roman Catholic Church – deo gratias.

One of the features of this place has been the comments columns, and we have a new record on one post of nearly 650! This is a good place then to thank those who do contribute so much there: the ‘original’ (here from the start) David Monier-Williams, Jock MacSporran, another early commentator now back and most welcome (if he and I ever agree, one of us is going to be surprised – and we’re both likely to be wrong), Steve Brown, Phillip Augustine, Grandpa Zeke and the (thankfully) irrepressible Ginny – all of whom contribute so much to the ethos of this place. I would also like to thank two great supporters who boost us on Twitter and have been friends of this place from the start – Gareth Thomas (whose contributions were much appreciated) and the mysterious #savedpusson, BruvverEccles. All of you have made a unique contribution, and, as the person who suddenly found himself in charge of this ship, I have had occasion to be thankful for all your contributions.

Which brings me, last, but certainly not least, to the ‘onlie begetter’ of this place, Jessica Hof. This time last year we were not sure she would still be here this year. There was not a time when it seemed likely that she would be back blogging. Neo, who has been her great support, suggested (following a suggestion from Steve Brown) that we ran a series of her old posts, rightly noting to me that there was much good there that newer readers might have missed, and older ones would welcome – thus was born Saturday Jess. It was with some amazement that this was shortly followed by Jessica’s first post in over a year – since when she has, in her own unique way, returned to us. Her recent posts on the nature of hell have shown that her instinct for thought-provoking posts is fully intact, and the tone she brings is one that none of the rest of us can quite manage; I wish I could catch it!

So, we have finished 2015 in a quite different place than we started. I remain conscious that those who helped cause us to go private still lurk – well, the bad news is twofold, we are still here, and I forgive you. We are still here because, according to our very different traditions, we bear witness to the hope that is in us – that is the hope of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As this is something I rarely allow myself, a self-indulgent post, I should like to thank all of you, old and new readers, old and new contributors, regulars and occasionals, and to wish you all a Happy New Year – and look forward to your company in 2016.

Thanks and Thanksgiving

26 Thursday Nov 2015

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I am touched beyond words by what my dearest friend Dave (Neo) wrote today and will break my silence to say so.

It has been a long year, and at times a dark one. Of it I will say no more here, save to echo what was in Neo’s post – my thanks to all who have cared (and still care) for me. My thanks also go to Neo, Dave Smith, Chalcedon, Geoffrey and everyone who comments and reads here – and it was lovely that David Monier-Williams, who was here before here existed, so to speak, was the first to comment on Neo’s post – thank you for your prayers and kindnesses David – and indeed, all the Davids, brave cavaliers all of you. I liked the description, ‘AATW family’ – so much so that I sought for, and got, permission to say so.

To all those who have asked via Neo and C, how I am, and have passed on your prayers and good wishes, let me say at once not only how grateful (more Thanksgiving) I am, but how supported I have felt by them; no one who has been prayed for as I have could doubt the efficacy of prayer. There were times it was all that kept me afloat – that and the love of God. Our Lady felt very close, and she carried your prayers to me – I felt them through her. If I’d ever wondered what intercessory prayer was, I don’t now.

As Neo said, my illness is in remission – well, that’s what the medics say. In reality they’ve no idea what happened, me too, but I’m happy to say so; but then I’m not a highly trained medic with a puzzle in front of me, I’m just a woman who was very ill and now isn’t. None of us can know what will happen next, and I’m as superstitious as the next very superstitious person – but into His hands we all commend ourselves.

I haven’t kept up with the blog, or indeed the news, as limited access to the media seemed to be one of the ways to getting better – not as though I am up to the cut and thrust of debate (oh well, OK then, what’s new there then?). But that doesn’t mean I have not prayed for you all – or that I will stop.

As some of you know, I spent a year in America when I was younger, and that intensified a love of America that came from a crush on John Wayne and a love of American films. It’s so easy, looking and admiring that great nation, to forget how precarious were its origins, and now, with so much political correctness, almost to have to apologise for them. But those brave Pilgrims might easily have suffered the fate of those Vikings who had tried to establish settlement much earlier, and in fact almost did suffer that fate. But their faith in God which led them to cross a vast ocean in vulnerable wooden ships, kept them firm and saw them through. May that be said of us all – and let us always give thanks to Him who alone is truly worthy of all thanks and praise.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Looking forward

08 Sunday Nov 2015

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makeshift church

We are approaching the end of the liturgical year, and before we know it, it will be Advent and then the run up to Christmas. Now that we have Halloween and (in the UK) Bonfire night behind us, the commercial outlets will go full throttle for their marketing of Christmas. I am fully expecting at least one story in the media to the effect that some busybody somewhere has protested about the inclusion of a Christian element in the Christmas story – indeed in a sense I almost want it, as it would be a sign that someone, somewhere, is still plugging the reason Christmas exists. It may be just me, but I tend to find that the run up to Christmas has less and less to do with our religion every year – and yet the Churches do fill up at Christmas, if not, I have tended to notice, on Christmas day itself.

The end of the liturgical year provides an opportunity to reflect, as one tends to at the secular New Year, on the events of the past year. For Catholics it has been an unusually tough one, not least because of the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Although their fate seems no longer of interest to the media, it should be in our prayers, and among the most touching pictures I saw this year was one of a makeshift church in the ‘jungle’ at Calais (pictured above). It is a reminder that whatever troubles most of us have, we need to be praying for those from whom everything has been taken – and, if we can, donating to those trying to put into practice Christ’s injunction to care for the poor, the widow and the orphan.

This liturgical yeat began with the fall out from Synod 14, and had continued with that from Synod 15, and swirl of rumours (well caught by Geoffrey) shows no sign of stopping any time soon. This is not good for the Church, but in an age of social media and 24 hour news, it is hard to see what the alternative is. Some bishops and priests and others clearly do not agree with the ancient teaching of the Church, and whether the Pope agrees with them or not, it is better to have these things in the open than not; one can only hope and pray that the faithful will not be weakened in their faith. I cannot see that anyone with a living faith in Christ would be over concerned, because either what we believe about the Church is true – which is that not even the gates of hell will prevail against it – or it is not; if not, then there is as little point in being worried as if one believes.

On one final note, for those of us at AATW this is our first year without Jessica. She is recovering, and now well enough to be contemplating her future, and she sends her best to all those here who have been kind enough to hold her in their prayers. We miss her touch, and for me, their is need to express my gratitude to those others here who have helped me pick up the labouring oar, not least Neo, Dave Smith and the inimitable Geoffrey, not to mention the musical excellence of quiavideruntculi; but a big thank you to everyone who has contibutted a piece, or a comment – or just read us. Everyone is welcome here, and I hope the next liturgical year will be a good one for us all.

Thank you all so much

10 Friday Oct 2014

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First a huge thank you to all who have prayed for me and sent me their love and best wishes; do not ever let anyone tell you prayer has no effect, because for the last month or so I have felt held by yours. Even though the blog is private now, I am not going to go into the gory details of my illness; suffice it to say that having the last rites read over you is something I never thought to write about – yet through God’s mercy, I can. and am.

I am now going to spend some time convalescing at a retreat centre, and am praying for guidance with respect to my future. As some of you know I have long been drawn to the life of a Religious, and I am now committing myself to the first stages of this. It will mean a wrench from family, and from you, my friends here, but at the moment, that is where it seems I am called, and I must follow it.

I shan’t be posting again for a while, although will have access to the internet so I can at least respond to anything anyone posts.

I did not fear death, or even dying. It is there, after all, and we all reach it at some point. I did not want to reach it so soon, and I did not want to cause distress to family and friends; indeed, so sudden was the whole thing that I could not even tell some good friends, and am grateful for those, here, and elsewhere, who took on the hard task of telling people.

There was a moment, just over a week ago, when I thought that was it. If it was His will, then I was ready to bow to it – after all, I would be going home, and have many people there with whom I look forward to being reunited – and for my friends here, well it would be but a short while before we were united again. But, for whatever reason, God decided it was not my time, although, as the medics keep telling me, it may well be, and soon, as the cancer may return as mysteriously as it seems to have gone; bless them, you can’t expect a medic to believe in miracles.

I do believe in them, and in my case they come, at least in part, through the dedicated care of doctors and nurses – and hospital chaplains – as well as the prayers of friends and family. We are, as people, so much better than we sometimes allow ourselves to be in the press of everyday life, and during times like the one I have just been through, you see people at their best, as they set aside the ephemera of every day and focus on what we can do best when we act in the image of God – that is the giving of love and of care. As one reaches some kind of extremis time changes, it ceases to be linear. There were times when it moved swiftly, times it moved so slowly minutes seemed like days; and, in my condition, times when whole days vanished in a morphine-induced oblivion.

But He was with me, His rod and His staff comforted me, and I did, indeed, feel led by still waters to green pasture. Not once did I feel alone. Your prayers were with me, and so was the Lord Jesus. Now, I want to spend more time with Him, not perhaps, in the way I thought I would a week ago – and thank you to all who have said how glad they are for that.

Now, as I go on a convalescent retreat and investigate my vocation, I can do one thing for you all – pray for each and every one of you.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you, and with your spirit, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now – and at the hour of our death. Amen.

End of Easter reflections

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Bible, Easter, Faith

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Blessed John Paul II

It seems a long time since the Triduum of Easter; for me it is the highlight of the Christian year. Like so many Christians, I find that Christmas is too overlain with secular/commercial noise, and it can be hard to recover the true joy of the Nativity; it can be done, but the effort must be made. Easter is another matter. Our secularising world does not invade it in the same way, and the Easter Triduum offers the opportunity for prolonged reflection, and, at the Easter Vigil, for engagement with a liturgy which, even in the Novus Ordo is solemn and reverential. ‘He is Risen!’, to which, of old, Christians would respond: “He is Risen Indeed!”

One of the joys of Easter is that it is enhanced by a well-spent Lent. I almost miss the Lenten sacrifices, and give them up only in the joy of the Resurrection, where it would be wrong to stint; but that period of prayer, some privation and reflection prepares us to experience the overflowing emotion of the Resurrection. It is the turning point of history, the pivotal moment on which our salvation shifts; God intervenes decisively: it means that love is real, and through it we, who have fallen so low, shall be raised higher than the angels. If we stopped on Good Friday, then all would, indeed, have been in vain, and however edifying the teachings of Jesus, they would be no more than words on the winds of time. Man that is born of woman would, indeed, blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree, and wither and perish, and be forgotten; if Christ was not risen, then life would be merely an exercise in passing time before decay and death.

The Church keeps Easter for seven times seven days in honour of the significance of this greatest of all feasts These fifty days of joy, in which the Gospel readings remind us of the coming of the Paraclete, and the readings from Acts encourage us with the example of the early Church, are the counter to the forty days of trials and tribulations which lead up to Easter itself. As the Psalmist reminds us:

4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

So, as we approach the great feast of Pentecost, let us take that message with us, and, as St John Paul II reminded us “We are the Easter people and Alleluia is our song!”

Two years on

15 Thursday May 2014

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By-The-Fireside

First of all, I want to say thank you to Neo for his encomium; it was wonderful and characteristic of him to remember  the day, and to say such kind things.

It is, indeed, two years since AATW opened its gates, and back then I could not have imagined I would still be doing the blog, or that anyone would be reading it, let alone that a dozen people would be writing posts here; there’s all sorts of other things I couldn’t have imagined back then. Surveying that time reminds me how little one cane see even into one’s own future – as well as what a good thing that it. If I had, by some accident, been able to foresee what would happen, I am sure I should have lost courage and given up.

i don’t want to sound like Oscar night, but I want to thank Chalcedon and Geoffrey for their many posts, as well as my other contributors. I have to thank my dearest friend Neo, for his posts, his comments and his constant friendship, as well as my dear friend Servus Fidelis, who has been here almost from the start. David Monier-Williams, to whom we owe some wonderful homilies, has been here from the start, as has Bruvver Eccles and Frere Rabit, who helped me, as did others, when I most needed it; to them and the ‘gallant click’, my thanks.I know that some find Bosco and quivideruntoculi, strong meat, but I think they represent important voices in Christianity which need to be heard. Of course, being me, I find what Rob and Nicholas write, more nourishing, but it is easy, and would be very easy indeed for me, simply to run a blog where there is no friction; but that would not represent anything save a solipsism located outside the messy and broken world we inhabit.

AATW now has nearly 600 followers and 180k views for its 1180 posts, with nearly 50k comments, and that is why it continues, because of you and all the other readers.

My own life has changed in so many ways, and is about to change again as I return to teaching. Across time my own contribution here has become less, and I can’t see it increasing again any time soon, but there are others who have more than made up for that. Some of my fellow Anglicans, Struans and Malcolm, have had other calls on their time, but their posts are still read every day, and their contribution to AATW continues to be appreciated. We’re very fortunate to have Carl’s cartoons, which add something very special to the mix here.

The comments boxes here have always been something special, and no one who reads them can but be struck by the quality of some of the comments. This place exists to encourage dialogue, and unlike some dioceses and newspapers, genuinely believes in allowing Christians of all churches (and none) a space where they can speak as they find. This can be uncomfortable for those who need the security of having their own narrow view reflected back to them, as well as for those of us who like to go on a lot about love and peace; but that’s the real world, and even a blog has to live in it from time to time.

So my thanks are to all of you who read and write here – and I am proud to be the Chatelaine of this Watchtower.

 

Saying adieu to a friend

07 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by in Anglicanism, Blogging, Faith

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Struans has said he’s leaving us, at least for a while. The regrets folk have expressed as not formulaic. He genuinely added something to this place, and without him and Fr Malcolm, Jess may well be the only Anglican in the village, so to speak. For anyone wanting to understand modern theology, Struans was a good guide, and he coped manfully with dinosaurs like me who began with an uncomprehending categorisation of him as a ‘liberal’. I still think he’s a liberal in my sense of the term, that is one who thinks that the traditional beliefs need to adapt to modern ways of thinking, but he’s helped me see it isn’t that simple, and has given me, and the regulars here, good links and things about which to think. I shall miss the fusillades between him and Chalcedon which were marvellous to behold, as both the great men-o-war fired away – quite often at other targets it seemed to me, but my, what fun for those of us who think that argumnt should be about substance and intellectual positions as opposed to ya boo stuff.

I saw from our hostess’ post, and from her comments to me, that she too will miss him. He has been here from the start I think, something a johnny-come-lately like myself can but admire. He’s added that Anglican tone which I trace, too, in Jessica, which is one of devout commitment alongside an openness to things which an old-time conservative like myself instinctively distrusts; where I’m grateful to them both is in showing me that one can distrust something, be right to do so, but also explore it to understand why one is right to distrust it.

At its best, that Anglican broadness militates against any tendency to Pharisaism or legalism; and as one with tendencies in both directions, it is good to have a countervailing force. At its worst, and all good things on this earth have a worst, it leads to an impression of indecisiveness on matters where it is important to be clear. I’ve read the arguments from Struans on homosexuals and marriage and find them unconvincing in the extreme, based as they seem to be on a desire to read away what all churches have agreed is in the text. The motives are good in themselves, but they lead in the wrong direction. Those who have an attraction to the same sex and are living out the Gospel commandment need not siren voices indicating that it is OK, but reinforcement of that which tells them they are right to resist, and support in that endeavour.

But I had a thousand times more a man like Struans who is striving to find ways to show the love of Christ, than one who resorts to judging the sinner and not the sin. I’ve never been a fan of the idea that telling other folk they’re bound for hell if they don’t agree with me is the way to show God’s love. Jesus died for all sinners and rose so that all who turn to Him should have life eternal; were I not a Christian, I think I’d be more likely to be pulled in by Struans than our chum QV.

So this is by way of thanking Struans for the very great pleasure of his company, and for the educational work he has done here. I had looked forward to hearing more about India, but I suppose that is on hold against a possible return.  As he may not look in at the time, let me wish him a joyful and holy Easter, and may God go with him – and may England win a Test Match soon.

“I am the Man”: a reflection

30 Sunday Mar 2014

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That his condition was a punishment for something was an ever-present thought; there was some judgment on him. But he knew his place, sitting there near the synagogue and begging; it was what he did, it was who he was; he deserved it. He did not know why, but that was the way it was. But why did people assume that blindness was the same as deafness? Who were these Galileans using him as a means of asking their Rabbi questions about suffering? If it made him useful, it reminded him of his condition – as though that was needful. What was that about light? It would be nice to know what light was. Now some fool was putting wet clay on his eyes – was there no limit to the humiliations he was expected to put up with? Still, the voice, presumably that of the Rabbi, was authoritative, and he was used to doing what he was told, so he picked his way to the pool and washed his eyes. That was when everything changed.

The light, that was what he remembered even now; odd to say, but it had blinded him. It had taken a lifetime to get used to it, to live with it, to live in it. How they had quizzed him afterwards. Some had refused to believe the story, though they had seen him every day for years. “I am the man” he had told them. But it was not enough for those Pharisees. They had done nothing to help him, and now they seemed to resent the fact someone had. They’d demanded to know who did it. He’d heard the Rabbi’s followers calling him Jesus, so he told the Pharisees; but that just made them angrier. They were the disciples of Moses, they told him proudly; well, he thought to himself, Moses hadn’t done very much for him, and this Jesus had. But the Pharisees would not have it, Jesus was a sinner. Born blind he might have been, but born stupid he was not, and he had wondered aloud how they could think this Jesus a ‘sinner’. They had thrown him out of their synagogue. He had had nowhere to go, but the Rabbi Jesus had sought him out.

He had gone from one sort of marginal existence to another; even his parents had kept their distance; it didn’t do to upset the Pharisees. But Jesus had not forgotten him. He remembered his own words, “I am the man”, and Jesus told him he was the ‘Son of Man’; he knew then who Jesus was, and he had followed him ever since. The Pharisees had no believed him, they proclaimed they were not blind. Perhaps not, but they had not seen, all the same; there were worse things than not being able to see with your eyes.

He had followed Jesus until what the others had thought was the end; but he had been quietly confident that he knew what the Rabbi had meant when he had said the temple would rise again in three days;and he had. That light, lit that day, had burned inside him, and even though it had led him to this dungeon in Rome, he was satisfied. They had taken Peter earlier, and soon they would come for him and the others. It would not be long now before he saw again the ‘Son of Man’. The key turned in the lock; they had come; it was time.

Conscience & hope

23 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by in Faith, Prayers

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We are, I think, all born with a conscience, and for me it is God’s homing beacon; but how shall we know that if we know not God? How shall it become enlightened by the Light, if it knows not the Light that lighteth the world? How shall we receive the spiritual formation which enables our conscience to become informed and enlightened, if we ourselves know not the Lord; how can we seek His face if we do not know He is to be sought? Men do not look for that which they do not know they have lost.

Perhaps the man who is afraid to pray to God and denies he exists is closer to confessing him than the man who stands before God armoured in his own virtue; the first at least confesses that he and God are not at one; the latter, like the Pharisee in the parable despises sinners and thinks that keeping the law is the same as understanding its spirit.

Only when a person faces despair do they realise that they need mercy; those who do not want mercy never seek it. When we seek it, our heart begins to open to the Grace that is knocking on its door. God is the hope of the hopeless and the lover of the loveless; when we are most lost, then we can be found if we open our hearts. Hope is at the root of all theology. God wills all men to be saved, and if we will turn to him, even though we are in the darkest night, then will a light be lit.

Jesus is the word of the Father revealed to us; that word is accessible to all, if we will but bring it to them in the right spirit. This afternoon, by the Grace of God, a light was lit, and if we continue to pray, then all will be well, and all manner of things will be, and though our sins are scarlet, yet will the Blood of the Lamb wash them away. In that mystery of love, the world will be redeemed. Thanks be to God.