Yikes! It is almost upon us. I already have diary entries up to September next year. The net effect of having Christmas Day on a Sunday means that we seem to run a week short. It can't be true of course, but the end of the year is frighteningly, paranoically, hysterically close!So I have appreciated the extraordinary gift of having a week retreat for three nights in the last week. An unusual form of retreat, perhaps what is often called "a retreat in daily life", Monday Wednesday and Friday evenings in the week before Advent just being quiet. The group which organised it, Affirming Catholicism, called it "waiting before the waiting begins". It seemed a quirky title. But I have appreciated having time before hurtling down hill begins.
The retreat director, Philip Carter, as always offered piercing insights. Chief among them for me this time was that God is giving us in these few short hours,' time back'. I desperately need it!
Rigorous diet, losing lots of weight, and just an exhausting schedule... Including the demolition of the Parish Hall, and a whole lot of reshuffling around the Parish ... Mean that this early Christmas seems desperately upon us...upon me. I am glad I got some of the time back!
4 comments:
Affirming catholicism? What's this?
Affirming Catholicism is an Anglican movement which seeks to affirm the tradition of catholic worship and spirituality.
We see catholic as being a term which is essentially inclusive rather than exclusive...ie. it is "universal" in that sens. And in particular, we affirm the place of male and female in the full life of the church...and its threefold orders.
Bring on the women Bishops I say.
Sounds political?
I am not quite sure what your comment "sounds political" means.
I don't see Affirming Catholicism in this way.
Our recent retreat was certainly about affirming people in their quest for holiness. This of course is political to some folks.
I believe that we actually represent the mainstream catholic movement in the Anglican Church, there are others (Forward in Faith for example) who would not agree with us about that!
They (FiF) in my opinion are a very political grouping and stridently seek to influence the Church in a way that I find rather confrontationist....they arranged, for example, the consecration of a Bishop contrary to the will of the Church.
Pretty political.
And in my mind very uncatholic.
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