There are times when we seem suddenly to awake and discover the full meaning of our own present reality. Such discoveries are not capable of being contained in formulas or definitions. They are a matter of personal experience, of uncommunicable intuition. In the light of such an experience it is easy to see the futility of all the trifles that occupy our minds. We recapture something of the calm and balance that ought always to be ours, and we understand that life is far too great a gift to be squandered on anything less than perfection.

Thomas Merton

Fr Stephen is always worth reading, but is particularly on form this week:

Beauty is not mere aesthetics. It encompasses an aspect of truth that is enfleshed and breathes. Our faith is not a mass of syllogisms, no matter how well expressed. Like even the most primitive human beings, believers have reached out to blank walls to fill them with the images of the heart. It reaches out to the souls of broken men and women to bind them up. Beauty is the sound and image of love breaking on the shores all across the planet calling us to our true home.

A brisk hike above Cowesby before the rain comes.

A scenic view of a countryside landscape under a cloudy sky. In the foreground, there is dense brown and green heather with some dry grass, and a solitary tree with green leaves stands to the right. The landscape extends into rolling hills and green fields in the distance.

A black and white image of a vast, open landscape. The foreground shows a dense cluster of trees and vegetation. Beyond that, a patchwork of fields stretches across the middle ground, with lines of trees and hedges dividing them. The horizon features distant, gently rolling hills under a cloudy sky, casting a moody and atmospheric vibe over the scene.

Thy Kingdom Come?

Thoughts on Kingdom language provoked by Martin Scott’s challenging version of the Lord’s Prayer.

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Shakespeare Sonnet 65:

Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power,
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Whose action is no stronger than a flower?

Iona cloisters

Black and white image of two rectangular windows casting overlapping light patterns on a tiled floor, creating abstract geometric shapes with strong contrast between light and shadow.

A brilliant piece on Ukraine’s queer soldiers.

“This is probably the first war where so many openly LGBT+ soldiers are fighting on the frontline,” he says. ​“That in itself is a sign: we’re fighting not just for borders, but for values. We’re like a diamond coating on a blade – the first to hit this threat, cutting through metal.

Iona cloisters

A stone cloister hallway with sunlight streaming through a series of arched columns on the left, casting long shadows on the floor. The right side features a stone wall with carved details. The ceiling is wooden, adding a rustic appearance to the scene. The sunlight highlights the contrast between the illuminated grass outside and the shadowed interior walkway.

Iona harbour

A wooden rowboat with oars is resting on a sandy beach, facing the calm sea. The shoreline in the background is rocky with a few small boats floating on the water. The sky is partly cloudy, creating a serene coastal scene.

Bus to Fionnphort

Two people are silhouetted against a window view of a scenic landscape. Outside, there is a peaceful rural scene with houses, grassy fields, and distant rocky hills under a clear sky. The photo is in black and white, emphasizing the contrast between the figures and the bright scenery beyond.

Glasgow to Oban must be one of the best train journeys anywhere, which I will attempt to demonstrate with grainy pictures taken through dirty windows.

View from a train window showing a scenic landscape with a large lake surrounded by lush green hills and distant mountains. The image reflects the exterior onto the train’s interior, where part of a seated passenger is visible. The sky is clear and blue, adding to the serene atmosphere.

A grassy landscape with a dirt path leading towards an ancient stone castle by a lake. The castle, situated on a small hill, has several towers and looks weathered. On the left, a forested area lies beside the water. A few people are walking along the path, and the scene is under a clear, blue sky.

A scenic coastal view featuring a harbor with several docked fishing boats. The foreground shows a concrete pier, where a few people are walking with dogs. On the left, some small traps and fishing gear are visible on the boats. Across the water, there are buildings with red and gray roofs. The sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue.

In the late twentieth century, then, in a world of banality and commercialized religion in which God had become “nice,” mysticism promised to help “unchain” God from the small, moralistic demands laid on him-to let God be wild and free and daring and beautiful.

An Introduction to Christian Mysticism by Jason M. Baxter 📚

Heading to Iona

I’m in Glasgow, catching the train to Oban on the way to Iona. This is the first time I have been since I was accepted onto the New Members Programme of the Iona Community. My involvement with the community has been a huge influence on my life over the last couple of years and I’m excited to have the opportunity to join. I’ve been interested in community life for many years, but this is the first time that a community has felt right for me.

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I really enjoyed this piece by Fr Stephen on the glories of creation:

The great tragedy of secularism is its reduction of all things to mere things. We are created to have right relationships with all things as well as all people. At its heart this right relationship is the manifestation of love. And this love is joy and wonder at the very giftedness of the world – itself the manifestation of God’s love towards us.

Roseberry Topping from the Cleveland Hills.

A scenic landscape with a large tree in the foreground, partially overhanging a view of expansive fields under a blue sky. The midground features a mix of green grass and yellow-flowered bushes. In the distance, gentle rolling hills stretch across the horizon. The scene is bright and serene, suggesting a clear day.

Mr. Kind is not the first Jewish pope, Dr. Palmer said. There have also been two Muslim popes and a transgender pope. “We haven’t yet had a Catholic pope,” she said.

‘The Only Person in the World Claiming to Be the Pope Right Now’

H/T @ayjay

Dana’O Driscoll once again has a bleak account of ecological and economic collapse.

This is no longer fixable, but does drive us to build community and local resilience.

All of this has made me consider my relationships to everything… My relationship to the garden, to the land, to the homestead. My relationship to myself. My relationship to the rain, light, wind, and soil.  My relationship to the communities to which I belong. And building those relationships are meaningful and that will root and sustain me through this chaos.  I take a breath and be grateful to be alive.  And just maybe, I put in a larger patch of potatoes.

You have permission to be ordinary. To live a quiet life. To go for a walk without turning it into content. To do good work without chasing viral. To be present with your people instead of always ‘building something.’ Your life doesn’t have to be optimised to be meaningful. The Ordinary creates space for what truly matters.

David Keeler via @ReaderJohn

Pennhill from Leyburn Shawl

Photo of a distant hill across a valley in a frame of nearby trees. The weather warm and sunny.

St. Margaret’s Church Preston under Scar.

A small church interior features a mural of the Crucifixion above the altar, surrounded by pews and floral arrangements.