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Watching out for shortcuts

 



We have just finished praying our way through the Beatitudes at Tuesday evening prayer and are around half way through studying them together on the Pilgrim Course.  They remain immensely challenging and inspiring after 20 centuries.  One of the themes that run through them is that appearances can deceive and that we can sometimes find blessing in the unsought for and undervalued experiences of our lives.   These can include mourning, hunger, poverty of spirit and so on.

As we were discussing this recently someone shared with us these insights from the Mahatma who said once that if more Christians were like their master the whole world would be Christian! 

Gandhi's 7 Dangers to Human Virtue:

1 - Wealth Without Work

2 - Pleasure Without Conscience

3 - Knowledge Without Character

4 - Business Without Ethics

 5 - Science Without Humanity 

6 - Religion Without Sacrifice 

7 - Politics Without Principle

I share these with you today because what they all have in common is the valuing of the difficult side of life.  Conscience, ethics, sacrifice, principles etc can be really bothersome at times when we just want to get on with things.   The words on the right hand side of the list tend to slow things down, force us into making difficult choices, have to hold difficult conversations, work unseen at times with no guarantee of success, take the long way round when there seems to be a shortcut available and so on.

I met a young doctor recently for coffee who I knew as a pupil in Aberdeen.  Being with him reminded me of an impromptu wee thought for the day I gave to my daughter’s group of school leavers at a BBQ in the Rectory Garden.  I talked briefly of the career ladder that lay ahead for many of these talented and bright young people.  I also though talked of the character ladder that lay alongside this and which at times may hinder or slow their climb of the career ladder and yet how important t is to keep going up both.

In this Covid period I do believe our character is being tested in a greater way than usual.  Whether it is Gandhi’s recognition of the importance of doing things well and properly or Jesus’ call to us to look for his blessing in the sometimes hard places and times, we are reminded that this autumn and winter provide a great opportunity for spiritual and character formation.  In Jeremiah 29 the old prophet’s letter to the exiles in Babylon states quite clearly it will be 70 years before they come home.  In the meantime they must watch out for the false prophets who say they will be leaving soon.  Instead they must plant gardens, pray and work for the prosperity of where they are and try to flourish where they have been planted.

I’m sure it will not be 70 years for us!!!   But let’s not wish this time away and just focus on our well-being.   Many folk will be going through a far harder time than we are as they lose their livelihood in the coming months, local services maybe cut and so on.  Our character as a society will be greatly challenged.  What does it mean for us to be salt and light in this context, how can we be Beatitude people, living more like our Master, as Gandhi so longed Christians to do.

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