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“Let us run to accompany him
as he hastens towards his passion”
Andrew of Crete

Autumn in Canterbury is splendid with glorious days following cool mornings. OK I know that Otago, especially Central, does it even better, but for those of us who are not fortunate enough to live in the south of the South our Canterbury imitation is not too bad.

There is colour, colour everywhere, glorious so long as we don’t let our minds wander into the winter weather ahead.

But if we didn’t go through the winter we wouldn’t appreciate the unless we appreciate the natural seasonal pattern of new life, abundance, decline, death – then again, and forever, new life.

And this is why Andrew of Crete in the 8th century (today’s Office of Readings) could be so excited, running even, hastening towards the passion.

This is important – enabling us to enter Holy Week not as a threatening Good Friday death but a pilgrimage of hope towards abundant Easter life.

As Richard Rohr in one of his many inspiring books writes – through suffering we learn that the way up is to first go down. This journey difficult moves us from the first to the second part of life, through suffering to death then resurrection. (Falling Upward) 

In one profound Rohr quotation:

In terms of the ego, most religions teach in some way that all of us must die before we die, and then we will not be afraid of dying. Suffering of some sort seems to be the only thing strong enough to destabilise our arrogance and our ignorance. I would define suffering very simply as whenever you are not in control.

This is not theory – each of us must make the personal link to the ups and downs, more accurately the downs then ups, in our own up and down lives.

And this is the journey we take together in Holy Week, from today until Easter.

When we appreciate this, the decline of Autumn becomes splendid, and Holy Week a joy at the deepest level of existence.

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CAFE GATHERINGS

Send your date and time to add to the list, and just turn up at at one of the advertised gatherings, just one hour, focussing on where we are encountering Christ.

Monday 30 March 10.00am
Moko Cafe Bush Inn Centre, Waimairi Road Christchurch
Trish