Canon Alan writes

The Epiphany Season is a time of Light, and I would be very surprised if you didn’t recognise Holman Hunt’s Light of the World. It came to mind when I started our Julian Meeting on Monday with these words:

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 

“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied, “Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.” 

By Minne Louise Haskins

Like me, I expect many of you have given up on New Year’s Resolutions – but maybe I can tempt you to a daily one! To spend time in silent prayer with the 3 Ss – Silence, Solitude and Stillness. Start with JAM (Just A Minute) and think of it as a journey inside, putting your hand into the hand of God - and this is why...

"There is a secret place. A radiant sanctuary. As real as your own kitchen. More real than that. Constructed of the purest elements. Overflowing with the ten thousand beautiful things... 

"This magnificent refuge is inside you. Enter. Shatter the darkness that shrouds the doorway. Step around the poisonous vipers that slither at your feet, attempting to throw you off your course. Be bold. Be humble. Put away the incense and forget the incantations they taught you.

"Ask no permission from the authorities. Slip away. Close your eyes and follow your breath to the still place that leads to the invisible path that leads you home.”

From Mirabai Starr’s introduction to ‘The Interior Castle’ by Teresa of Avila

I pray we may feel the Hand of God to hold and lead us inside to that ‘radiant sanctuary’ where just maybe, we might catch a glimpse of gold and a whiff of incense and myrrh. 

Happy New Year

Canon Alan