JM December 2022
Poem
Brenda Lofthouse
Contemplative Prayer
Silence
In the depth of heart
At the centre of being.
Silence
Making space
For God’s indwelling.
Silence
When mind and heart
Are at one—
In the present moment.
The present moment
When time and the eternal connect
In this eternal NOW
Let there be — Silence
Article
Di Stone
Reflections on Silence
The words ‘Silence is golden, golden’ keep singing in my mind with the tune from The Tremeloes released in 1964! (Probably because last Wednesday I made a golden circle to represent the word ‘blessing’).
But, perhaps, that came from a brief conversation I had a few days earlier, when at breakfast one of our guests said to me, ‘I have been watching you’. ‘Oh help’, I thought, ‘what does that mean!’
Seeking stillness
Apparently, during afternoon prayers, which focus around silence, they had noticed me being still and at peace. I was flabbergasted! That is certainly not how I perceive myself. I’m sure most people who know me see someone who is always on a mission, rushing here, there and everywhere. They may also know that I do have a deep desire to rest in God, to be at peace with myself and that I am always trying to quieten my spinning mind and find stillness.
To be honest, I do now enjoy sitting on one of the cushioned chairs (only at 4.30pm mind!), having my bead bracelet to hand. Just occasionally I have found myself lost in the silence and pleasantly surprised to hear the closing liturgy. I have then truly felt blessed. Yet I still find it so hard to enter into this gift of silence.
The value of silence
The phrase ‘Silence is golden’ actually comes from a proverb extolling the value of silence over speech – ‘Speech is silver, silence is golden’. Its origins are probably in Arabic culture, where it was used as early as the 9th century. This wise old proverb simply means that the value of our words can be compared to that of silver, but the value of silence is as precious as that of gold.
Thomas Carlyle put it another way (in?), Sartor Resartus ‘Speech is of Time, Silence is of Eternity.’ I was excited when I read these words, for silence leads me into a spacious place with God; silence leads me into his presence.
Girolamo Savonarola said, ‘Silence alone makes listening possible: in other words, it alone allows us to welcome within us not only the Word, but also the presence of the One who speaks’.
In ‘Finding Your Hidden Treasure: The Way of Silent Prayer’ Benignus O’Rourke writes, ‘To lose the burden of self and rest in God’s love is a pearl of great price’ and later, ‘Our prayer of stillness is all about being with God without any agenda. It is just being there’.
He also quotes the following reflection by an unknown writer, which he says ‘beautifully sums up our response to the invitation ‘Be still and know that I am God’
The Womb of Silence
Not in the whirlwind,
not in the lightning,
not in the strife of tongues,
or in the jangling of subtle reasoning
is He found,
but in the still small voice of silence.
Therefore be silent.
Let the past be silent.
Let there be no vain regrets,
no brooding on past failures,
no bitterness,
no judgement of oneself or others.
Let all be silent.
Be still and know.
Be still and look.
Let the eyes of the mind be closed,
that you may hear
what otherwise you would not hear,
that you may know
what otherwise you would not know.
Abandon yourself to Him,
in longing love, simply,
holding onto nothing but Him.
So you may enter the silence of eternity
and know the union of yourself with Him.
And if in the stillness he does not answer,
He is still there.
His silence is the silence of love.
Wait then in patience
and in submission.
It is good to wait in silence
for his coming.
Prayer
The Leonine Sacramentary
O God, who divides the day from the night
O God, who divides the day from the night, separate our deeds from the darkness of sin, and let us continually live in Your light, reflecting in all that we do Your eternal beauty.
O God, who gives the day for work and the night for sleep, refresh our bodies and our minds through the quiet hours of night, and let our inward eyes be directed towards You, dreaming of Your eternal glory.
Article
Deidre Morris
Not What it Seams?
No, it’s not a spelling mistake in the title. There is a piece of public art Seam. It is in Crown Court, a small public square behind Wakefield Town Hall.
Two very different seams
It commemorates two major local industries – coal mining and tailoring. For both of these, seams are important. Coal formed millions of years ago as particular trees died, rotted, were covered in silt etc. and gradually compressed into coal. A layer of coal, with other rocks above and below, is called a seam.
In tailoring, seams are lines of stitches which join pieces of fabric, enabling garments to be created.
Is prayer an important ‘seam’ in your life?
A stitched seam
Seams in clothes are narrow, and rarely noticed by people, but they are vital to create and maintain the shape of the garment. Prayer / silence / stillness may not occupy a large part of our day, nor be seen by other people, but is it a vital part of our life, giving it shape and keeping it fit for purpose? Does prayer hold together the different aspects of our life, as the seams of our clothes hold them together?
A power seam
A seam of coal is also unnoticed, being usually deep under-ground. It took hard work and much effort to dig coal out of the ground, so why bother? Because it was a major source of energy to power our way of life: keep us warm, fuel industry, light our world. Does prayer energise our lives? For many of us it takes effort and determination to maintain our prayer life, but if we do it will sustain us in all that we try to achieve. It is a rich seam of power, enabling us to carry out God’s will.
The representation of a seam in the statue is the ’empty space’ carved through the stone. Does JM carve an ’empty space’ into our lives, to join us to God in silence?
Article
[unstated]
Forward Look to JM 50th Anniversary Gathering
We hope this will typify JM’s 50th Anniversary event in 2023.
Julian Meetings are already circles of sharing: sharing silence and stillness in the presence of God.
At Friends House, in Euston, London, we are meeting in a room called The Light and the chairs are arranged at large circular tables. We hope this will encourage everyone to talk to each other and share their experiences and ideas – much easier than when sitting in rows of chairs. There will be on-line ‘circles of sharing’ for those attending via Zoom.
It would be wonderful if lots of you come to this gathering, to celebrate that the Julian Meetings are still here after 50 years. We also want you to share what contemplative prayer and JM means to you, and to consider how the Julian Meetings can continue to:
- Foster the teaching and practice of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition
- Encourage people to practise contemplative prayer in their daily lives, and explore ways of doing this which are appropriate for them
- Support the individual ecumenical Julian Meetings — groups whose members meet regularly to practise Christian contemplative prayer together.
How can we best fulfill these aims, in a world that has changed so much in the last 50 years? JM has changed a lot over the past five decades – what is our, and God’s, vision for the future?
Time to think and share
During the next 6 months we would ask you, as individuals and as groups, to consider what you value most about the Julian Meetings, what you feel we are able to offer to people, and how JM might grow and flourish into the future.
These are some ways in which people have valued JM:
- The quality of the silence at our meetings, which is so deep.
- Being part of a spiritual network untrammelled by the rules and expectations of the established denominations.
- All find it a healing space.
- We find strength and friendship and value the silence to be still together with God.
Looking Forward
We not only want to know what you value about JM, we want you to consider how JM might grow and thrive in the coming years. What has it to offer, perhaps particularly to people who are seeking a spiritual path outside the main faith groups or Christian denominations.
The following are just some ‘trigger’ ideas to consider, but what we do want to have is your ideas and questions and suggestions.
- In what ways could we teach (more) people more about silent contemplative prayer?
- What forms might Meetings take?
- How can we encourage Meetings of any kind to grow and flourish?
- How and where should we publicise what we offer?
- What else might we offer, particularly on our website and social media platforms?
- How should the JM network be organised and run?
- What is God calling us to be, and to become?
So why think about these questions now?
If you can let us know your thoughts before the event next June, it would give us pointers to what people wish to discuss, which may influence how to facilitate the day.
We welcome any suggestions, as the day is for all those who take part, in person or on-line, and your suggestion may be something we have never thought of.
If you cannot come to the event at all, it would still be very helpful to have your thoughts in advance. They can then be fed into the planning, and the discussion on the day, even if you cannot be there to join in.
Quotation
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
But this stillness before the Word will exert its influence upon the whole day. If we have learned to be silent before the Word, we shall also manage our silence and our speech during the day.
Article
Hilary Wakeman
Beginnings – part 2
Getting organised: a name, a magazine and a national meeting
In the autumn (of 1973), meetings were held in Cardiff, Kent, Cambridge and London, and by March 1974 the movement had a magazine – and a name.
We had asked for suggestions for a name, and the word ‘Julian’ came from every quarter. This was partly because the 600th anniversary of the ‘showings’ of Julian of Norwich had been celebrated the previous year. But she also seemed the right name for us because, as she was pre-reformation, we could in a sense all claim her. Also, as no one really knows whether she was a lay woman or a professed religious, she seemed right for a movement where already it was clear that clergy and lay people all met on an equal footing. So we became ‘The Julian Meetings’. It sounded fresh and simple.
It was Canon Keith Walker, then of Chichester Cathedral, who organised our first national meeting. The Cowley Fathers welcomed 33 of us to their London house one day in December 1974. Some 20 JM groups were represented. Many talked of the need for the Church to take more seriously the teaching of prayer. An Anglican priest said that he was horrified when he asked a friend why she was about to follow an Eastern guru and she said, ‘Because you have never taught me how to pray.’ It was agreed then that the purpose of the Julian Meetings was to foster the practice and teaching of contemplative prayer within the Christian tradition.
We talked about organisation, and agreed that each group should develop in its own way, and that central organisation should be minimal, with just a convenor and two advisors. Initially, I was to be the convenor and the advisers would be Keith Walker and Arthur Middleton, an Anglican priest from the north-east of England. It now seems odd that all three of us were Anglicans, a situation that hardly emphasised our ecumenical intentions; but one that would never happen again.
Growing
There is something very precious about the early days of such a movement, when those who find themselves involved become grateful for each other’s presence and enthusiastic about being part of this new and unique thing that is happening. Those who came to the second annual meeting took on various tasks: a young Catholic poet and linguist from Cambridge, David Singleton, was to compile a list of the groups; Diana Roantree, then an Anglican from Essex was to find out if the original idea of an Order was still viable; Brian Wills of the Society of Friends and from Hampshire would help me with the thrice yearly newsletter and his wife Pat would duplicate letters and forms; David Smith, an Anglican priest from Lincolnshire, volunteered to compile a list of speakers on prayer; and Maureen Greatrex , a young Anglican housewife from Cambridgeshire, agreed to organise the following year’s conference. The advisers, we agreed, should be increased by two, and they should not be Anglicans. We chose David Singleton and Brian Wills. That second national meeting was combined with a retreat led by the wonderful Cowley Father, Christopher Bryant.
And that set the pattern. Nearly every year there has been a national meeting, combined with a retreat led by people like Martin Israel, Robert Llewellyn and Mary Holliday. The Advisory Group grew gradually, and is now usually 9-10 people. We try to keep a balance of male-female, clergy-lay, north-south, and of denominations.
The number of groups grew. Some met in churches, chapels or church rooms, but many in private homes. Some met weekly, some monthly, some fortnightly. Most were evening groups, but older people often arranged daytime ones. Some groups were formed in hospitals, prisons, schools.
Two remarkable Anglican priests were responsible for JM starting in other countries. After a long correspondence with Kevin Joyner in Australia the first JM groups started there in 1980, and spread to New Zealand in 1981. In that same year John Rowland began the first groups in South Africa. The United States took much longer. It wasn’t until 1992 that an Episcopalian laywoman, Lynn Hay, inaugurated the first group there, which was in Illinois.
The Newsletter that we started with evolved into something called The Julian Meetings Magazine. It goes to all countries where there are groups, and each country inserts its own newsletter. For all but the first few years the international magazine has been edited by Pamela Fawcett.
The JM Ethos
Since there are only three criteria for Julian groups – that they be Christ-centred, based on contemplative prayer and, at least potentially, ecumenical – they could in theory be very different from each other. No laws are laid down as to the structure of meetings: groups are encouraged to find out what is right for them. Yet most of them eventually move into a common pattern of starting with a brief reading, having half-an-hour’s silence and ending with a prayer said together.
While most participants are aware that there are other groups nationally, or even in their own area, it is the local group – the increasingly-known, increasingly trusted men and women in the group, and the support that they get and give – that is important to them.
All that is best about the movement comes, I am sure, from its mixture of denominations. Because the best Julian groups include not only lay people, but clergy from various local churches, there is not the usual expectation that ‘the Vicar’ or ‘the Minister’ will take the lead. Someone leads into the silence, and out again at the end of the agreed time, but that will be a different person at each meeting, and will be randomly clerical or lay. Sometimes it comes as a surprise to clergy, how much they appreciate this opportunity to pray with others without having to lead. In some way connected to this playing down of differences, we tend not to use titles unless it is necessary. From fairly early on we have just used first name and surname. It’s not a rule: it just seems to have happened and it feels right for us.
There are now nearly 300 JM groups in the United Kingdom. But there is no membership as such. Those who meet in the groups pay nothing, though they may be subscribers to The Julian Meetings Magazine which is available to anyone. Despite the original letter there is no badge or distinctive clothing. The movement has no headquarters and owns no property.
The Advisory Group, which meets two or three times a year to make practical arrangements, keeps no minutes and has no elected officers: members are selected by taking on various short-term or long-term tasks, and working voluntarily and from home. At meetings of their local group they are ordinary participants.
But for many people what is most vital about the Julian Meetings, and the thing that differentiates us from other Christian meditation groups, is that they encourage those who are drawn to this way of prayer to find their own way into silence. To be restricted indefinitely to one particular technique is like being expected to live on baby food for 90 years. JM encourages people to know about different methods so that, not with flighty frequency but when they feel called to it, they can move to a different approach.
Poem
Lynne Laskey
I Walked on Snow-Capped Mountains
I walked on snow – capped mountains,
and listened to the breeze,
I waved to passing daffodils,
and whispered to the trees.
I smiled at all the sunshine,
and splashed in all the rain,
I tried to catch a snow flake,
that floated down the lane.
But then a bluebell stopped me,
and bade me sit a while,
so I could rest my weary soul,
and find again my smile.
And so I sat and listened,
to the melody they sang,
they raised their hearts in harmony,
and their sweet voices rang.
They sang of joy and glory
to the One who lives above,
they gave Him praise and honour,
but most of all their love.
So we should stop and listen,
and offer up our praise,
to the One who reigns in glory,
and serve Him all our days.
Article
Angela Tilby
Ashburnham Taught Me About Prayer
One of the many things I am grateful for from my Evangelical youth is an introduction to scripture–based contemplative prayer. The youth club from St James, Muswell Hill, used to go for a weekend at Ashburnham Place, in leafy Sussex. We slept in dormitories, enjoyed the magnificent grounds and listened to suitably uplifting talks.
On the Sunday morning Mr Oddy, our curate from St James, celebrated communion. He then suggested that we took our prayer books, went outside, found a place on our own and spent 30 minutes reflecting on the 23rd psalm.
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I remember perching on a tombstone in the cemetery and wondering what I was meant to do. It all seemed a bit awkward at first, even contrived. But, as I read over the familiar words, I had the first inkling of what it might be like to simply allow the words of scripture to form a bridge between me and God – not forcing anything, not wrestling for any particular meaning or direction.
I was familiar with the Evangelical ‘quiet time’, and thought of prayer as a process: ACTS, as we were taught, meaning Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. But this non-directive dwelling in a particular psalm felt both more casual and more exposing. I felt as if I were entering a stream of prayer, a practice more ancient than I could ever have known.
It changed me, although I could not say how. But it made me realise that the traditions of prayer are more ingrained than our doctrinal differences, and that they can lead us on, even when we have no idea where we might be called to be going.
I like the description of lectio divina ascribed by a Roman Catholic writer to a Southern Baptist: ‘I reads myself full, I thinks myself clear, I prays myself hot, I lets myself cool’.
Meditation
[unstated]
Mary responded to God’s request
Mary responded to God’s request: may we too accept his call.
Mary was homeless at Christ’s birth: pray for those without a home.
Mary was an unmarried mother: pray for single parents and for all children.
Mary was a refugee in Egypt: pray for all refugees who’ve fled their homes.
Mary was living in poverty: pray for all who are deprived.
Mary stood by the cross: may we remain faithful to Jesus.
Mary embraced her dead son: pray for all whose loved ones have died.
Mary rejoiced in her risen son: may we rise to new life in him.
Mary was the first apostle: may we spread the Good News to all we meet.
Article
Stephen Cottrell
What our priorities as Christians should be
Writing to the saintly Bishop Edward King in 1861 … H.H. Swinny wrote this on the importance of meditation:–
‘We all try to do too much and don’t give enough time to earnest quiet thought…
‘Somehow even my prayer, and Divine Service within God’s congregation, lose much of their reality without this deliberate bringing of the Unseen into sight, and basking in the light and warmth of it for a little season. We shall accomplish more by attempting less.’
And Edward King himself persistently maintained that our first priority must be to ‘secure our own individual reunion with God through Christ, nurtured in those times apart, in solitude and silence.’
‘Oh, blessed are the poor in spirit’, says Jesus, ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 5.3)
At the heart of what it means for us to be a Christ-centred Church is
this renewal of prayer and spirituality,
the disciplines of contemplation,
the pursuit of holiness,
the recognition that we don’t have all the answers,
a poverty of Spirit which is a richness in our need of God’s mercy and redemption,
the ‘deliberate bringing of the Unseen into sight’,
that even a so-called vision and strategy is simply a call – a call to God, a call from God, to centre our lives in Christ.
Article
Judith Jessop
At Christmas ‘The Word’ became flesh
Is it merely interpretive choice:
the still small voice
or
the sound of sheer silence?
There’s a loud difference between the two:
God’s presence intimately perceived
or
God’s absence tantalisingly vacant.
It speaks to us of:
God’s immanence seen amid our experience
or
God’s transcendence viewed from afar.
Perhaps we need both:
to do justice to the paradox of God
to attempt to describe the indescribable.
Book review
John Connell
Gemma Simmonds • Dancing at the Still Point. Retreat practices for a busy life
Form (an imprint of SPCK), 2021, £10.99
The title of the book is mysterious, but the subtitle ‘Retreat practices for a busy life’ gives a clue. I’ve never actually been on a retreat, though I’ve thought about it. If you, like me, you have thought yourself too busy to go on retreat, this will be a good book for you.
It is based on the Ignatian steps of Read, Meditate, Pray, Contemplate, plus Pope Benedict’s 5th step, Action, and gives logical layout of what a useful retreat would contain. There are many examples of how each stage of a retreat is already present all around you, with advice on how to recognise and integrate these elements of your normal busy life into a form of retreat.
I particularly learned that you don’t have to be away some-where special – Lindisfarne or Iona – to create the state of mind, connection, peace and serenity that are part of Retreat. Retreat time spent in your own place can bring very tangible, positive actions and results. Retreat is not a geographical place: it’s internal; it’s attention to intention.
People who say contemplation only focuses on navels, and wastes time, should read this book, but they probably think they’re too busy!
Book review
Ann Moran
Robin Stapleford • Christ for a New Age. 365 Prophetic Messages born of the complete Gospel Teaching of Jesus
Self-published (available from Amazon), 2021, 8.00
Robin Stapleford is Rector of the Upper Wensum benefice in Norfolk. A long-standing Julian Meeting member, his talks about Julian Meetings can be found on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.
His book is a year’s collection of daily Biblical quotations and his reflections on these. The reflections are more akin to a Zen koan or the Hindu Upanishads than traditional clerical pondering and are usually very short. They are set out on the page like poems or haikus (but are not haikus). This is a ‘marmite’ book – you either love it or don’t see the point! Personally, I like it.
It is an ideal resource for lead-ins and lead-outs at a Meeting because of the brevity of each reading and its reflection. It is also ideal for dipping into randomly, besides being used for a more disciplined daily reading. Amazon Kindle helpfully gives a sample to read before buying.
Examples are:
15 February: Matthew 5:8 [‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’]
A calm anointing embraces the clear-sighted. The Beloved attends to wipe away your gentle tears.
1 January: Luke 2:49 [‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’]
Be still. I have been here all along.
Book review
Fr Luke Penkett
Bonnie B Thurston • St Mary of Egypt. A modern verse life and interpertation
A Cistercian Publications title (Monastic Wisdom Series 65), pub. by the Liturgical Press, 2021, £12.99
This book is a delight, with over 24 poems mirroring the life of Mary of Egypt, a model of repentance. Better known in an Orthodox setting, she is almost unknown in the Western Church. The poetry, which makes up the first half of the book, is prefaced by an Introduction and A Summary of The Life of Mary of Egypt. This draws our attention to the fact that Mary ‘epitomized devotion to the Virgin Mary, penitence, prayer and God’s mercy’ (p.10).
The second half of Bonnie’s book is a scholarly essay titled Further Exploration of Mary of Egypt. It includes sections on the literary history of Mary’s Life, echoes, antecedents, and techniques, humility, sacraments, icons, and relics.
Underlying the whole text is the profound influence of the late Sr Benedicta Ward to whom the book is dedicated ‘In gratitude for [her] life and work and friendship’. Clues to this are found in the repeated references to her writing in the copious footnotes, and the fact that in the Bibliography her books are more in number than those by any other writer.
Benedicta has written the Foreword to the book, describing it as ‘This remarkable presentation of the story of Mary of Egypt’ (xiii), and ‘In this remarkable book, Dr Thurston shows the way to understand the truth of the story of Mary and Zossima’ (xv). Zossima was Mary’s spiritual father who communicates her late in life; a monk who recognises, at last, true holiness.
Let the final words of this review be Benedicta’s: ‘In this book we have the beauty of truth for all indeed’ (xv).
Book review
Ann Morris
John-Francis Friendship • What Do You Seek? Wisdom from religious life for today’s world
Canterbury Press, 2021, £16.99
Archbishop Justin Welby suggests that there can be no revival of Christianity without the renewal of Religious life. The Reformation severed our initial relationship with those consecrated to exploring the depths of relationship with God in this particular way. John-Francis Friendship believes those wanting to grow in discipleship are hungry for the spiritual food which Religious, those living under vows, have offered for centuries. He describes some ways in which we can benefit from their wisdom.
Monasticism is rooted in an ever-deepening relationship with God. It presents a focused way to live the gospel and a defined way to grow in faith. It challenges our tendency to self-absorption and self-determinism. It shows the richness of life lovingly lived for God and the benefit of others, tempering busyness through a balanced life of prayer, study, work and rest.
Religious communities responded to the challenges of their time: first century in the desert; enclosed communities of brothers and sisters holding the world in prayer in the middle ages; collected communities for social welfare service, in education, healthcare and support to the dying:- Christian Socialism in practice. Today we revere St Francis as the patron saint of the ecological movement, and we bless the nuns of Helen House, pioneers of the Hospice movement. They are examples of Brothers and Sisters who live God’s passion for the world, encouraging us to develop mindfulness into heartfulness, and be satisfied to do small things well.
These communities witness that Christianity’s true riches are infinitely worthwhile. We need their teaching on compassion and sacrifice; contemplation and humility; commitment and faithfulness; community and solitude; repentance, prayer and praise.
Book review
Janet Robinson
The Community of Aidan and Hilda • Celtic Prayer: Caught up in love
BRF, 2022, £12.99
Like David Cole’s The art of peace (which we reviewed last year) the contents of this book from the Community of Aidan and Hilda are written by various members of that dispersed community.
This is much more than a treatise on Celtic Prayer. It deals comprehensively with many aspects of prayer and living the Christian life. Writers comment that those practising Celtic prayer need to incorporate prayer into a working life, and for most of us, that is the way we ourselves need to live. Accordingly, they discuss the need for daily rhythms of prayer and to learn to be ‘contemplative in the market place’. There are practical chapters on both ways of prayer and the reading of scripture.
Many aspects of living in the awareness of God are covered and thoughtfully approached. And there are also several topics ─ like diversity and social justice, and prejudice, inequality and bias ─ which are not often included in books on prayer. Unanswered prayer and living with disability are not forgotten. A chapter entitled ‘God loves your mind and emotions’ is sensitively discussed by four members of the community. The early Celtic saints are not forgotten and their lives and practices illustrate the Christian life.
This is a serious but accessible and inspiring book which would worthily repay much study and thought.
Book review
Fiona Elliott
Peter S Paine • Crumbs for the Journey. A short anthology of spiritual reflections
New City Publishing House, 2021, £7.50
In this charming little book editor Peter Paine, an Anglican priest, has gathered his favourite and most useful pieces. These have inspired and supported him in his long vocation, and he hopes that ‘these crumbs’ will sustain the readers for their journeys of ministry.
There are seven chapters: Being Lost, Finding a Treasure, On a Journey, Prayer and Communion, Love and Suffering, Wisdom, Rest and Trust.
All the chapters have rich pieces for the contemplative. Some are classics – Julian of Norwich, the Desert Fathers and The Cloud of Unknowing. Others are on a Celtic theme from Wild Goose publications and some quirky inclusions concern Van Gough, and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Bishop Gordon Mursell’s foreword commends the book as an encouragement in times of suffering and sorrow, but the themes are useful for every day, and some suit use in a Julian Meeting. Most are about a page in length, or shorter.
Peter includes some longer pieces of his own, traditional in style, like sermons with a particular teaching point. I found these less appropriate, but there is enough variety in this book to suit most appetites. Peter’s humble nature shines out and the book is peppered with great depth and honesty.
Book review
Ann Moran
Simon Barrington-Ward, The Jesus Prayer
BRF, 1st edn 1996, 2nd edn 2007, 2022, £14.99
‘Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me (a sinner)’.
The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) have reprinted Simon Barrington-Ward’s book on ‘The Jesus Prayer’ as part of their Centenary Classics Collection. First published in 1996, this new edition, a reprint of the 2007 2nd edition, is a hard-back that is a beautiful object to see and handle, and a pleasure to read.
This book remains one of the best introductions to the Jesus Prayer. Quite short, it contains a huge amount of wisdom, guidance and scholarship, all expressed in clear and simple language. The BRF website has an excerpt to read, including the list of contents.
Simon Barrington-Ward tells about his own discovery of the prayer and its practice. He gives much information on the biblical roots of the prayer, its early use by the Desert Fathers and its development from Evagrius in the 4th century through to the present day.
The book gives clear instruction on how to practice the prayer, its value in intercession and the use of the traditional Orthodox knotted prayer cord, called a Chotki (Russian) or Komboskini (Greek). Barrington-Ward speaks from his own experience of the prayer, and was known for always carrying a prayer cord with him.
The book includes an excellent bibliography for those who want to learn more. However, it is not knowledge that is important but the practice of the prayer, which is very simple. ‘It’s a practice of the presence of God, and it is being in that presence, relaxed and alert.’