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From Rev Ruth Scott, Anglican Vicar in Richmond:

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Of 1,000 people questioned in a recent poll about Christmas shopping, a third said they’d ended up in arguments or even coming to blows with other shoppers. So much for Christmas spirit! The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said, ‘The ideal person bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.’ Whether in mundane mishaps or major traumas dignity makes a difference. I remember taking a funeral at which one of the coffin-bearers was wearing a toupé. As he bent to lower the coffin onto the bier his wig got caught in the wire keeping the flowers in place, and as he stood up it was left dangling like a giant hairy spider. He carried on calmly as if nothing had happened, despite the mourners on that side of the coffin struggling not to laugh. When the service ended, he returned solemnly and, with his colleagues, picked up the coffin to carry it out. Passing through the empty porch he slipped his wig back on… unfortunately back to front since he couldn’t see what he was doing. Although the episode had something of the feel of a farce, what stays in my mind is the dignity the man maintained throughout. It was impressive. I remember too, Mama Amy, a Congolese woman I worked with, who was attacked, kidnapped and held prisoner for months by terrorists. After release she went back home to be pastor to her people and reflected deep joy and profound dignity wherever she went. And then there’s the quiet dignity of my friend Hassan, who despite being frequently stoned and shot at by neighbours, never stopped seeking to connect with the very people who wished him harm.Ìý In their different ways the coffin-bearer, Hassan and Mama Amy have learned to maintain self-respect and inner stillness regardless of surrounding circumstances. I think we would all do well to practice such dignity amid the pre-Christmas short fuses and silliness which threaten to spoil its true spirit.