• Silence is Golden

    Forum on Silence from St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow on Vimeo.

    Somehow I managed to forget to publish this video on the blog but it is worth taking a look. It came from a forum conversation that I had with the Vice Provost, Cedric Blakey the other week.

    The point of this was to have a public chat about the way Cedric prays. One of the odd things about church is that individuals very rarely talk about their own personal spirituality and I was grateful to Cedric for being so open to having this discussion.

    We talk about this and also about:

    • whether God dictates answers to us
    • how breathing is integral to prayer
    • how to teach someone to pray
    • if you fall asleep whilst doing breathing exercises is that a sign of it working?
    • do single people need to spend time in silence?
    • how silence is golden.

    The video is a fairly short forum conversation – just 20 minutes.

18 responses to “The Beloved”

  1. […] blessing took place on Sunday 23rd (just passed), conducted by the Provost of Glasgow. From the Provost’s own blog , the following: Today I celebrated a Eucharist in circumstances which were new to me but which […]

  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    I am pleased to hear about this. If and when my partner and I have a civil partnership, it would mean so much to me to have a priest there to bless it, and it breaks my heart that my own church might deny me that.

  3. Stephen Avatar

    As a Christian and as a priest I understand the wonder of the Eucharist to permeate everything we do with the presence of Christ, so I am not surprised to hear of the wonderful way this touched you, and the gift of Christ Really Present (once again as promised)
    I often think of that psalm as I elevate the Host. He reached down from on high and touched me. Never does it fail to work.
    Thank you for ministering to these two guys in this way at this wonderful time, and sharing this with us. No doubt at some personal cost.

  4. david power Avatar
    david power

    Truly what one reads here is what the great Bonhoffer described as “cheap grace”.
    People so comfortable in their sin they could not imagine what type of liberation Christ could truly offer them ,and instead bury everything in a feelgood language that reaches out for Glory but demands a rupture with Nature and reality .
    Love covers a multitude of sins,and how St Paul must wince at your understanding of his words.

  5. tim lusk Avatar

    God’s blessings on you buddy as you continue tobe open to God’s grace and to, as any good priest would, share it with all.

  6. pax58 Avatar
    pax58

    I grew up in southern West Virginia, USA. It was fairly common for couples to get married soon after a pregnancy had happened. One of my friends was pregnant with twins, I was setting next to my uncle. The priest started the fertility prayer and my uncle said out loud, “Good God, she’s carrying two, how many more do you want her to have?”
    Everyone, including the priest had a good laugh.

  7. pax58 Avatar
    pax58

    Thanks for the post Kevin, I liked the seniment and also the warmth of seeing the eucharist through the leases of important occassions. Just for fun: when I just started college, one of my friends from high school got pregnant, with twins. As was the custom where I grew up, a hasty wedding was planned.
    The groom and the bride were kneeing at the rail while the priest prayed a prayer for fertitlity, my funny uncle turned around to me and said out loud, “what does he want? They are aready getting two, does he want a dozen?” Everyone on my side of the church starting laughing, which I am sure the bride and groom woul d have also done if they had heard him.

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