The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

All Hallowtide*

... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

 

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need; 

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers; 

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son, 

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, you call witnesses from every nation and reveal your glory in their lives; make us thankful for their example, and strengthen us by their fellowship that like them we may be faithful in the service of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading          John 11:32-44

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Poem: “News about No One”                                            by Sargon Boulus

Those who are never in the news,

whom no one remembers -

what wind erased their traces

as if they never walked the earth;

my father, all the others, where

 O where . . . ?

What happened to the 

 neighborhood carpenter

maker of solid beds, and dressers for brides?                                                   

How he worshipped the wood!

Where is the silent shoemaker

who hugged his anvil, and bit the bitter nails

between his teeth? Did a "smart" bomb

demolish his hole-in-the-wall

crammed to the ceiling

with battered shoes?

Where the coppersmith,  

where the golden tray?

The ear of wheat around the saint's image?

The horseshoe above the door?

What happened to Umm Youssef, the midwife?

How many babies were dragged        

out of the warm darkness of the womb

into the starkness of this world

by her dextrous hands, sending them on their way

with a slap on their bare bottoms

through the crooked valleys of                      

their destinies, soldiers who fight                      

in dubious battles  

and unjust wars? . . .            

After they got tired

slaving in the mills of poverty

to fill the granaries of the tyrant

did they feel ashamed of the way

 this world is made?

After the sieges, after the wars

beyond hunger, beyond

enemies, out of the reach              

of the executioner's hand – 

did they go to sleep

 at last?                  

To sleep, and hug the dust.

trans. from the Arabic by the author                                                          

Meditation

The familiarity of today's Gospel reading probably evokes all sorts of associations for us: the image of Lazarus on St. Andrew's reredos behind the altar, the way that 'Lazarus' has become an archetype for all kinds of resurrections (metaphorical and real), to name two.  The poem by Sargon Boulus reminds us that saintly stories are grounded in the real.  Those we remember as saints and beloved souls this week are perhaps preserved in our memories in their somewhat idealized versions.   

The incarnation of Jesus is about the divine entering the human world of flesh, blood, and dirt, while the saints travel the opposite journey, starting in the human, "hugging the dust" before entering eternal sleep.  Boulus's poem also reminds us of the quotidian origins of the saints - as we sing in a well-known hymn, some were queens and priests, and other shepherdesses and soldiers (or, as the poem invites us to consider, midwives and shoemakers).

Questions for Reflection

What sense memories do you have of the beloved souls you remember this week?  

What 'relics' have meaning for you in your spiritual life?  How does the materiality of those relics connect you to the divine?

To what 'unknown' or little-known figures would you grant sainthood? Why?

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today 

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world 

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, by the power which is at work among us, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages. Amen.                      

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Reflections this month offered by: Matt Bentley  

*The feast of All Saints’ will be observed on Sunday, November 3 this year.