Last one out turn off the light.

It’s been a strange time in the blogosphere as one by one my favourite blogs have disappeared or at least gone a bit quiet, except for a certain Archdruid. It reminds me of one of those Dr Who episodes in which the stars go out leaving a black void in the night sky. I’m not surprised. After an intense period of blogging people are taking a rest and I think I’ll join them.

My own blog output has diminished in recent weeks due to pressure of work. Not so much lack of time to blog but lack of time to reflect which is the prep for blogging; to be honest I’m just too knackered. This is what I expected having taken up a new role and needing to get up to speed with the organisational and administrative aspects of the job alongside the mission/ministry/vision stuff which I love. The most productive time for chewing over a possible blog post is walking the dog but that is also a good time to mull over a sermon. So I’m really acknowledging what has already begun to happen. I’ll post occasionally over the summer and see how things stand after the holidays.

Thanks to all those who read my ramblings and especially to those who take the time to interact through comments, Twitter and Facebook. I stand by all I’ve said about the importance of digital communication and social media networking in the life of the church but in the words of Lili Von Shtupp from Blazing Saddles ‘I’m Tired’.

The Big Silence (2)

Episode two of The Big Silence, BBC 2’s documentary about a group exploring the benefits of silence, focused on the five participants undertaking an eight day silent retreat. The programme observed the group go through an interesting arc from initial frustrations and rebellion, through intense emotional struggles to a variety of epiphanies.

During the first few days of the retreat several of the group found themselves rebelling against the silence: whispering in corridors; planning a ‘break out’ to a local pub; texting and phoning loved ones and chatting on walks around the countryside. Gradually each member of the group began to explore the possibilities of the retreat as they observed sustained periods of silence.

Several experiences from the programme particularly stick in the mind. One man picked up a closed pine cone from the grounds early on in the retreat and as the cone opened over the following days so he felt himself opening to his inner self and to God. One of the women sitting in silence with a retreat leader found herself turning her hands upwards and open in acceptance and offering. Two of the women wept together as they shared coming to terms with their hurt and anger over the death of their fathers. A man sceptical about visualising Jesus accompanying him on a walk shared his feeling that he had not walked alone.

As I watched this intimate record of peoples physical, emotional and spiritual wrestling, I was particularly struck by the importance of community holding each in their individual encounters with silence. I was also reminded of the value of the wisdom and discernment of those guiding the retreat; not least their willingness to speak difficult truths while allowing the participants to find their own way through.

The programme finished with the challenge of how each member of the retreat would take their encounters with silence, themselves and God back into their everyday lives. The trailer for the third and final episode of the series suggested this may well be the most interesting part of the whole enterprise.

The Big Silence

Caught the first episode of The Big Silence last night. The three part series follows the experience of five ordinary people as they are taught the value of silent meditation by Christopher Jamison, Abbot of Worth Abbey. The theme of the programmes can be summarised as:

Silence is the gateway to the soul, and the soul is the gateway to God.

The series got off to a good start with some interesting insights into the faith and spirituality of the participants. One of the most revealing, though not surprising, struggles for the group was the challenge to listen in silence for a few moments to the noises around them. Asking the group to listen to the sound of a candle flame was one thing, getting them to listen to the sound of the stars was a bit of a stretch.

Early on the group were asked to find 20 minutes in their daily life to practice silence and it was sobering to see how hard they found this. Then they were off to St Beuno’s Jesuit retreat house in North Wales for an eight day Ignatian retreat. The trailer for the second episode suggests this was going to be a real challenge, though it also hinted at some profound and life changing experiences.

The programme is produced by the people behind The Monastery, the excellent series following the experiences of another group of people engaging with the life of Worth Abbey and broadcast in 2005/6.

To be honest, I find silence difficult. It’s easy to fill the day with noise, from the radio first thing in the morning to the iPod while walking the dog. So I’m looking forward to the rest of the The Big Silence and reflecting on the place of silence in my own life. However, it’s half term this week and the kids are already tearing up the house so not much chance of silence at the moment.

pleshey

Great to see a feature in The Church Times last week on Pleshey, the Chelmsford Diocese Retreat House. Pleshey holds a special place in many people’s hearts and I have attended retreats and other events there for over twenty years. I live only six miles away but don’t visit nearly as often as I should.

My first experience of Pleshey was my deacons’ retreat in 1987. The retreat was both encouraging and challenging and was expertly led by Sister Carol. My second experience was the retreat before ordination as a priest and that was horrendous. Our retreat leader shall remain nameless but I gave up on the Saturday and headed to my brother’s house in nearby Chelmsford to watch the Republic of Ireland v England in the 1988 European Championships (Ireland won 1-0). I think the powers that be thought I had done a runner and didn’t want to be ordained so I had some explaining to do.

Events I’ve attended over the years have included a Clergy Leadership Programme and other CME events, leading various lay and clergy education and training events, diocesan working groups, committee meetings and Reader pre- licensing retreats. However, the most memorable times at Pleshey for me have been moments of silence in the garden, walks around the village and surrounding area and opportunities for quiet contemplation, prayer and worship in the chapel. Other highlights involve the two village pubs; The White Horse and The Leather Bottle.