I’ve been fortunate to spend some time this week with a monk from the Anglican Benedictine community at Mucknell Abbey. He came to Winchester to speak to the spiritual directors in the diocese and to preach at the Cathedral Sunday Eucharist. He reminded us that the first words of St Benedict’s Rule invite to listen and to be open in heart and mind to God. From this he quoted words from Meister Eckhart, a mystic of the 14th century:
‘Above all else, know this: be prepared at all times for the gifts of God and especially for the new ones…’
The beautiful claim here is that God has gifts for us. Not the same gifts over and over again, but new gifts throughout our lives. The bible gives us an image of God as the potter who creates us, and is working on us, as a potter works on the soft clay. Our visiting monk encouraged us to see ourselves not as finished hard cups or vases that need to be perfect, but as warm soft clay, in a process of creation, being continually shaped and created into the people God wants us to be.
As we enter the season of All Souls, All Saints, Remembrance and Advent I hope that along with the pleasures of returning to tried and tested traditions and all that is familiar, we’ll also be open to the new things that the season certainly holds. For each of us is new. We have never been, as we are now, before. So, each day, even familiar activities and events are experienced anew and contain new gifts and insights.
Meister Eckhart continues, ‘for God is always a thousand times more ready to give than we are to receive…’ I pray that these weeks of November will bring new gifts to you, whatever your stage in life, because you are in a process of becoming, by God’s grace, the person God wants you to be. We are each of us God’s work of art and the artist has not finished with us yet.
Please continue to take care of yourself and others.
With blessings and best wishes,
The Very Revd Catherine Ogle
Dean of Winchester
