RESENTING CRITICISM February 26, 2012
Posted by godschool in Thinking about Godstuff.Tags: Love Unknown, resenting criticism, Ruth Burrows, self-knowledge, self-love, spiritual honesty
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‘We allow ourselves to resent criticism even when justified. Note that I say allow - the feeling of resentment is not within our control – and maybe we try to smudge the unpalatable truth by discrediting the critic and, should an opportunity arise, retaliate in kind…
St Teresa (of Avila) assures her Carmelite sisters that one day of humbling self-knowledge …. is of far greater value than hours spent in meditation. Our days are strewn with graces that we do not recognize: opportunities, for instance, of letting another take precedence or receive the credit for something we ourselves have said or done; of refraining from profuse excuses when we have made mistakes … a thousand and one things happen that wound our self-love.
If only we really knew Jesus we would not be so concerned with putting on a good show and of how others see us. Instead of concealing our insecurities, fears, secret failings even from ourselves, we would accept the reality that we are ….
It is so difficult for us to grasp the reality of the incarnation: the truth that our great God, our holy Creator, has, so we may say, thrown off his robes of grandeur and run out in eagerness to meet us, to be with us where we are.’
(from ‘Love Unknown’ by Ruth Burrows, pub by Continuum)
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GRANDPA’S FIRST EXPERIENCE OF HEALING? February 9, 2012
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GRANDPA’S FIRST EXPERIENCE OF HEALING? February 9, 2012
Posted by godschool in Thinking about Godstuff.Tags: baptism, brokenhearted, Edgar Bell, Grandpa, healing, severe eczema, sick child, tears of joy
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I have mentioned recently that I’ve been going through my grandfather’s archive and it has certainly opened my eyes to the huge amount of research he did on the subject of Christian healing, for which he had a gift. There are very few letters in his own handwriting, but I found one which he must have written while still a curate (apprentice parish priest) and before he was married to my grandmother, whom he was obviously courting.
It’s dated 4 July 1916, and I begin to wonder whether this was in fact his very first experience of how his prayers could be used by God for healing. He writes:
‘My dearest. The jolly meeting we had this evening ended up sadly for me, because I had to go to baptize a baby who is not expected to live. She is a sweet little thing, 2 weeks old; but about 3 days after her birth she got a very severe sort of eczema (?) which has gone all over her little body and she is in great pain. It is her parents’ first child, and the poor mother is dIstracted with grief for her – of course she is only very poorly herself. I never realised before what mother love was, till I looked back and saw her leaning over the bed gazing at the wee child. It was a picture of God’s love – the look was so intense. I do hope and pray she will get well…. it has been a day of events for me – my first death, and first Baptism.
(The next day, in the evening, he continues with the letter) …The little baby whom I baptised … was much worse yesterday. Her poor mother cried broken hearted to me. She said she had always been passionately fond of children, and now that she had a babe of her own, it was going to be taken from her. This morning tears of joy greeted me – baby (whom he had baptised the previous evening) had slept and was taking food… she puts the change down to my prayers. But, she is still in great danger I fear. The doctor won’t trouble to come to see her – he hasn’t been since Tues – Isn’t it awful, and he has passed the house several times – he even hasn’t sent some stuff he said he was going to send!
(He finishes the letter thanking my to-be grandmother for her letters and saying they help him more than he can say).
It’s a tantalising insight because I don’t know what happened next. Obviously, the baby was not healed instantly – but her improvement was noticeable. Since that time the ministry of Christian healing has grown apace and experience shows that healing sometimes takes place in stages under continuing prayer.
(Incidentally, obviously he was not able to take the baby to a font and do the whole caboodle because she was too ill. He would have used the Prayer Book service for private baptism of infants not expected to live.)
But what shines through for me, was his deep compassion for both mother and child, and that this was his motivation.
