麻豆约拍

A reflection and prayer to start the day with Rick Hill

Good morning.

Today in Northern Ireland there will be parades celebrating what is known by historians as the glorious revolution. On the 12th July 1690 William of Orange defeated the deposed King James the Second at the battle of the Boyne in Ireland.

Identity and belonging are embedded in our annual cultural celebration and remain sources of tension and friction in my home country.
35 years ago, when I was a student in Aberdeen, a Professor cautioned me that peace was not merely the absence of conflict but also the enduring presence of wholeness. He wasn鈥檛 just talking about the theory of peace-making, I subsequently found he鈥檇 been involved in secret discussions with the IRA to try and broker a ceasefire.

As a teacher he鈥檇 inspired me to believe in reconciliation and to engage in projects that reached across the divisions in our society.
It is possible for me to celebrate my sense of belonging without diminishing others. It is also possible for me to define my identity at their expense. For too long we have made negative choices which we permit to shape our nationality of sense of belonging. It is of course possible to make positive choices- to understand ourselves and our self-worth without trashing others.

We have the absence of conflict in Northern Ireland but the enduring presence of wholeness is still work in progress.

When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem he stopped and wept saying, 鈥淚f only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace鈥�.

Heavenly Father
Help us to walk today and every day those pathways to peace that bring wholeness.
Amen