A PSALM A DAY…
Helps you work, rest and play! I am delighted that we are able to experience this online as a joint parish community in Woodbridge and Great Bealings – every Sunday @ 5.30 pm. Please do join us!
It is not a private time of prayer so much as a communal one. And we will be able to see familiar faces to help us re-connect, as well as welcome new friends. Our Gospel of the day (detailed below) will be the one we would have heard at our morning Eucharist, followed by a 3-minute (max) homily by one of our clergy. This is a kind of ‘Thought for the Day’ moment for which we have never been trained so it will be an interesting experiment for us, as well as you!
“I am not interested in finding the right reading of a text, as if there were only one. Deep truth has resonances, and it requires a community of faith – and not just its ordained intelligentsia – to discover these resonances and to enjoy their richness.”
So says John Bell (of Iona fame) in the preface to his thoughtful new book ‘Living with the Psalms’ – currently being shared by our Time to Reflect group. On page 155 he recommends one psalm or section of a psalm for every day in a 6-week cycle, an alternative option if you do not already use the daily resources of the C of E.
In case you have not experienced psalms said antiphonally or sung to Gregorian chant, I can commend you seeking out a favourite retreat and monastic community of mine in West Yorkshire whose ‘offices’ are livestreamed: www.mirfield.org.uk Their sound and vision facilities are in need of improving (like ours!) but there is still much to treasure.
So, people are free to ‘roam’ electronically on Sunday mornings and watch their favourite Cathedral Eucharist, or tune in to their favourite radio broadcast or act of worship. There remains a huge difference though between ‘watching’ and ‘joining in’.
Regular, rhythmic SUNDAY evening ‘common prayer’ is what we need to do most in lockdown and, with God’s blessing.
Fr Nigel