03/10/2016

Good morning.

There is an old story that’s told about Rabbi Akiva; one of the many great figures from Jewish history. He lived during the Roman occupation of the Holy Land in a village outside the ancient town of Capernaum. One evening, walking back from its market, he came to the fork in the road where he had to bear right for home. But, deep in thought, he did that thing that so many of us do in similar circumstances - absentmindedly he hurried straight past his turning and kept on going.

Suddenly Akiva’s thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice that penetrated the descending darkness. “Who are you and why are you here?” Straining to see through the gloom the rabbi realised that he had wandered all the way to the Roman garrison and the questions were coming from a young sentry keeping guard in the turret; “Who are you and why are you here?”

Akiva paused, thought and then he answered the question with one of his own. “Young man”, he called up to the entry box, “how much do they pay you to stand guard in that turret and ask those questions?”

“Five drachmas a week” the sentry shouted back proudly.

“I’ll double that”, exclaimed Akiva, “if you’ll stand by the door of my house and shout those same two questions at me each morning as I rise: ‘Who are you, and why are you here?’”

God of love, thank you for the gift of life. Prod us to find the time, in the busyness and hurry of our daily lives to pause long enough to ask of ourselves regularly these two most important of all questions that we might invest our lives wisely and well. Hear our prayer. Amen