Taking a moment to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas!
- Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,261
24 December 2017 20:09337544I thought I would share an excerpt from a missive from a reverend friend of mine:
"Now, the way into contemplative prayer, so I was told, requires sitting quietly, which I find tricky, breathing, which I mostly manage, and allowing one's mind to still. This didn't sound particularly difficult, so I sat in the chapel, and prepared to rummage about and find what folk call the ground of my soul. When I shut my eyes, though, the entire inside of my head lit up like a mental airport. There were thoughts dashing for flights, thoughts collecting baggage, thoughts fighting over lost children, thoughts struggling up escalators, frantic thoughts, weird thoughts, pushy thoughts, thoughts without tickets, and thoughts arrested for terrorism. I sat there thinking 'where am I going to stuff this lot?' And so it went on, the more i breathed steadily, corrected my posture, and tried to focus on infinite mystery, the more my mind sent out invitations and did what I'm told is called 'having a good time'. Before long i had departing spaceships, explosions, bunnies everywhere, an uncountable number parrots, zombies thumping each other with teddy bears, a coach full of singing accountants and, beyond horrible, stray scenes from 'The Sound of Music'. None of this made any sense. so I sat there steaming until, very slowly, the parrots flew off, the zombies exploded Julie Andrews decomposed, and the landscape cleared a bit, leaving only a few ducks and an 18th century philosopher, all of whom I could ignore. "
What chance do us mere mortals have?
Merry Christmas all forumites and Howard
howard mcsweeney1 likes thisArte et Marte - 24 December 2017 20:44337546There was me thinking it was all about pretending to like crappy gifts, breaking wind loudly after eating Brussel sprouts and then looking accusingly at the dog, fighting over the best ones in a Quality Street tin then finishing by having an almighty family row.
You can't beat Christmas. - Weird Granny Slater
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,095
24 December 2017 21:29337548Reginald Barrington wrote:"...the landscape cleared a bit, leaving only a few ducks and an 18th century philosopher, all of whom I could ignore."
The ducks may be immaterial, but one should never ignore Bishop Berkeley.
'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus - 24 December 2017 22:32337550I don't like to gloat but here is confirmation of post 2.
- 25 December 2017 11:58337565For some the meaning is getting online and trying to bag a bargain, a billion quid expected to be spent today.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5210949/Boxing-Day-sale-signs-spring-Britain.html - 25 December 2017 13:31337570Going to the Chrisdisdingle Service at River Methodist last night and today going to. communion at River Parish Church .A glass of sherry unwrapping presents and my two youngest Grandchildren saying Happy Christmas by phone.
- Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,397
25 December 2017 14:02337573
Merry Christmas to both of my readers from St John's 'ackney!howard mcsweeney1 likes this"The world is still a weird place, despite my efforts to make clear and perfect sense of it".
Dr. Hunter S Thompson - Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,109
25 December 2017 21:32337579I'm still struggling with the true meaning of Christmas and St Michael is no help:
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