Compassion?

I have really struggled with the comments over the releasing of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi by the Scottish Government.

One reason is that it seems as if many, especially politicians have waited to comment, as if testing the waters for fear of saying the wrong thing. We now seem to be facing a swell of outrage that a man, convicted of a crime, may be released on compassionate grounds due to his suffering with terminal cancer.

I have every sympathy with the families and all those involved with the crash. I cannot begin to imagine what it must feel like to have lost a loved one or to have worked at clearing up the debris left by the crash. But revenge is not a good healthy way to treat each other and I do not think those who are bereaved should expect to override the principle of compassion.

Nor am I happy with the idea that it is OK to release a man about whom there is some doubt about his guilt. I do not know the details of the case, but if it could be faulty then it should be dealt with through the law. So those who say, well he probably wasn't guilty anyway, so we were OK to release him have deprived those who need to know who was responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.

The Scottish Government have stated that he has been released out of compassion for his terminal cancer. This makes perfect sense to me. He is a dying man who wants, as we all would to be near home and family at the end of his life. If we refuse to show compassion, like those who suggest that he doesn't deserve compassion , having shown none to his vitims, we are no better than those who do murder...

We must not sink to that level, but show the Love God has for all of us, whatever we may have done...

May we all be blessed with compassionate hearts for all of God's creation.

Naivety

I am reading an excellent book called "I Heard The Owl Call My Name" by Margaret Craven, about an Anglican priest sent to an American Indian village in British Columbia. I have found it so engrossing I have read the first half today.

I have found myself touched by the following quote:

"'There were two kinds of naivety' he said, quoting Schweitzer; ' one not even aware of the problems, and another which has knocked on all the doors of knowledge and knows man (sic) can explain little and is still willing to follow his (sic) convictions into the unknown.'" page 29

While I would not claim to have knocked on all the doors of knowledge, I do feel that the more I have studied, prayed and experienced, the more I am aware of how much I do not know.

This may well be one of the reasons I am so happy to have found my way into a church which describes itself as non-dogmatic. There is room here for me to journey into the unknown; not having to sign up to statements that use language I am not comfortable with; and to have fellow travellers who are naive in this way - knowing that we cannot know all the answers, especially about the mystery that is God.

Blessings

from

Amma Bridget

Burnout...

Ministry burnout....

an interesting article:
http://www.christianitytoday. com/le/thepastor/soulspirit/survivalskills. html

Any comments?
What is your list?

Blessings
from
Amma Bridget

Warts and all!

My readings today seem to have continued along the theme of the need for a balanced outlook.

My Al-anon reading talked about the Fourth Step, when one is encouraged to take a fearless moral inventory and how easy it is for many of us to turn this into a list of our faults. This is not the idea. Many of us, beaten down by whatever has occurred in our lives, may find it all too easy to reel off endless lists of faults, and struggle to find even one good thing to say about ourselves...

Reading Matthew chapter 13 it is possible, as suggested by Sacred Space, to read the Parable of the Weeds in the same way. God sees the field as a whole - wheat and weeds - and the "weeds" can actually be the beautiful aspect - think of the poppies in a field of wheat... We need to see ourselves as whole people, knowing that we all have strengths AND weaknesses and we need to work with strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and others to relate as whole human beings - which is how God loves us.

Love yourself as a whole person - warts and all!

Blessings

from

Amma Bridget

I am free.

"I am free."

When I look at these words in writing

They seem to create in me a feeling of awe.

Yes, a wonderful feeling of freedom.

Thank you, God.

http://www.sacredspace.ie/

Ever since I have used Sacred Space on a daily basis - I really can't remember how long ago that was! - I have struggled with this page that comes up on a fairly regular basis.

Last night watching something on TV I finally admitted to myself that I am a 'glass half empty' type of person and I really envy those who always see the glass as half full. I am the type who had myself dead and buried as soon as I got a recall following a routine screening test. I worry and I fret about what if...

I think a year of attending Al-anon has been partly responsible for helping me to see that "What if...?" only gives me pain that I can do without, and I should concentrate on One Day at a Time and only subject myself to the pain of things that actually happen...

So, maybe it is this slightly less negative frame of mind that has allowed me to see the "I am free." page on Sacred Space today in a different light...

Instead of my mind arguing that I am not free from.....

I could see that I am free to....

do so many things...

I am free to speak to my wonderful daughter as she takes part in the Special Olympics.

I am free to enjoy the sunshine we have received, even though we were forecast rain.

I am free to practice my faith without fear of imprisonment, torture or death.

I am free to live with the partner of my choice, in a legally recognised relationship, and we are free to walk down the street holding hands without being arrested...

Maybe by thinking about the things I am free to do, and giving thanks for them, I am able to even free myself from some of the negative attitudes that have darkened my life...

What are you free to do?!

Blessings

from

Amma Bridget