19/12/2017

Good morning. This is a tough time of the year with so much sickness and suffering around. I’m always amazed at the reservoirs of inner strength that come to the surface in some people, even in the toughest times. I was talking recently to a woman whose mother was undergoing serious surgery. I knew that the possibility of losing her was almost unbearable. She did her best with her prayers but it was social media that turned up trumps – a very modern way of getting messages of support from friends and family all over the world.

Her mum and dad are committed churchgoers but, as with most people these days, they’ve never been open with their devotions or worshipped together as a family. So it came as a shock when her mother, at the very door of the operating theatre, said, Will you pray with me? That proved to be a defining moment. She held her mother’s hand and put her head next to her mum’s on the pillow; all the struggles and doubts she’d had throughout her journey of faith seemed to disappear, and she sensed the power, the simple magnificent power, of the grace and love of God holding them, connecting with them, and giving them that strength which only God can give.

While her mum was in theatre, she sat in the lovely hospital chapel above whose altar were carved some words of St John: “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; I don’t give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your hearts be troubled nor let them be afraid.” From that moment, she knew that everything would be all right.

Dear Lord, give that same peace today to those filled with anxiety and worried for their lives. And to those who care for them. Amen.