學員分享：祂那帶傷痕的手

請到思高讀經中心網站讀閱原文

RC = UK xPM

From the Times (UK)

The former Prime Minister Tony Blair has been received into the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, this is news, especially following my last post!

Mr Blair was received into full communion with the Catholic Church by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, during Mass in the chapel at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, on Friday

I did the same thing in 1989 (i.e. being received into the full commuion of the RC Church.)

Mr Blair, formerly a member of the Church of England, has been receiving doctrinal and spiritual preparation from Mgr Mark O’Toole, the Cardinal’s private secretary.

I received mine from The Very Rev Allan White OP, then the Chaplain at University of Edinburgh, now Prior Provincial of the English Dominicans (hence the Very Rev).

He was once chastised by the former Archbishop, the late Cardinal Basil Hume, for receiving communion alongside his Catholic wife Cherie and his children at their former church in Islington. Inter-commununion is banned by the Catholic Church although permitted by Anglican bishops.

I didn't realize that.

Before the profession of faith and reception the candidate make a confession of sins. They are asked to inform the confessor that they are to be received into full communion. At the reception a candidate is accompanied by a sponsor.

There has been public speculation about whether Mr Blair’s confession would include any reference to the war in Iraq, or to Parliamentary policy on ‘life’ issues during his time as Prime Minister.

That kind of speculation is rather silly, despite the sinfulness of the issues concerned.

British PM

I have a secret confession to make. (Well, all confessions are secret, aren't they?)
Just 30 minutes ago, I just realized there had been a NEW British PM since June 27 this year. Five months ago. Now, not that Gordon Brown is not anything special to me nor British politics is my cup of tea. But a new PM for UK and it must have been some news.
So, the sinful truth is - I haven't not been paying attention in ANY current affairs for the past five months.
Well, Gordon Brown is someone quite special.... now that I have read up a little bit about him.
GB and I do share a few things in common....
He studied at U of Edinburgh and so did I.
He is Labour. Well, I am not but I have been kind of pro-Labour.
He is presbyterian (his father was a C of Scotland clergyman). I have presbyterian roots (having been raised in a church with Reformed background).
He has lost the sight in one eye and retained just 30% of his vision in the other. My left eye has amblyopia.
He was anti-apartheid. So was I.

So I have shared about something about GB and also about myself. And, for my penance, I will read bbc.co.uk and the Guardian online.

學員分享

摘自：思高中心之一及之二

• 今天的活動幫助我反省自己與天父的關係。
• 讓我抽出時間憶起重要的生命事件，用新的眼光再看一次它對我的意義
• 由聖經、自我認識我與天主的關係
• 在此思考與聖父的關係、學習欣賞每個人的不同、有更多的彈性、接自己的限度、接受不同於原先的想法、規劃
• 天主創造在每個人的身上，皆可以看到
• 從自我認識、在聖經中得到天主的美善和藝術
• 原來，畫畫也可以與天主說話
• 認識自己對天主的感覺、訓練自己的統合能力、明白細述結構
• 以畫畫體驗天主的愛
• 創造出於放鬆、自在
• 輕鬆從繪畫中認識自我、誦讀聖言、描出與天父的關係
• 在藝術中認識自我內心世界
• 天主再次告訴我，祂從母胎就揀選了我，聖神與我同在，從小到大，在困難、痛苦中都與我同在， 祂的許諾永不改變。
• 今天的活動很有趣，很好玩。伍修士帶得很好。
• 一言難盡，難以用言語形容啦！ 總之，是另一種的啟示。藝術也能和靈修結合很棒！
• 透過繪畫，天主在和我說話。
• 發現自己依舊受舊我的侷限與隨意評斷，在祈禱詞創造時，被提醒，以基督的心為心。

學員分享：在聖經、藝術的時空自由地遊走

請到思高中心電子報看原文。

Remembering Jude Richardson, a landscape architect, an artist, a friend

Googling is something too much of a good thing. A few minutes ago, I decided to google some of my long lost friends, and, lo and behold, someone had died. Half a year ago already. And I didn't know about. Here is the obituary, first appeared in the Glasgow Herald, and re-published at http://www.greenspace.org.uk/default.asp?page=413.

Jude, you have achieved so much that I could not have. Thank you for doing what I wish I could be doing. See you in the eternal landscape of light and beauty again.

----------------------------------------

Jude Richardson

31/03/57 – 16/01/07

By JOHN HANCOX

Jude Richardson was a polymath, a Renaissance woman. She was a landscape artist, landscape architect, musician, and above all an educator. Her work with children to develop their own innovative play areas and on improving playgrounds has been greatly appreciated and enjoyed by countless children across Scotland and has also helped to change the way in which public space in Scotland is perceived.

Jude had an astonishing number of interests: When friends gathered recently at St Mary’s Cathedral for a celebration of her life, the event opened to the sound of music she made with drumming group, Repercussion – she was a fine musician. She had hung exhibitions in the Cathedral and had used a workshop in the Crypt to make – among other things - her kitchen table. Spring bulbs were gathered from friends in a beautiful wicker basket made by Jude, to be planted in Craufurdland native woodland, by Fenwick, where she is buried.

As an artist, Jude loved to work with living willow. She also loved to work with people. Over two years she worked with me at the Children’s Garden, at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, creating a willow sculpture that has been a source of great pleasure to countless children, hiding away in their den… She has also created willow sculpture by Loch Lomond at Balmaha, at Linn Park Adventure Playground in Glasgow, and at many schools across Scotland. Jude’s relationship with willow is significant: something about the quality of willow – its flexibility and resilience – how it weaves into something immensely strong and useful – how it takes root readily and grows fast – appealed to her immensely and was reflected in her character.

Working with Jude was an object lesson in how to teach people by showing essential skills and letting them work it out for themselves. She was very patient and drew the best from children by respecting them. Her skill as an artist was in helping nurture people’s ideas and enthusiasm and weaving them together so they worked. The outcome was people’s ideas, beautifully realised. Her mantra was that the process was more important than the product – it was imperative that people learned things, came away with new skills – and felt an affinity with what was produced.

Jude was born in Edinburgh, the second of four children, who loved to explore wild bits of the city. They spent huge amounts of time in Colinton Dell, on the Water of Leith, and the endless days climbing trees, making dams, falling in the river, making miniature gardens and tree houses, were highly influential on Jude’s later work. She believed there should be wild spaces nurtured in the city and it was no co-incidence that in Glasgow she chose to live next to the river Kelvin with its heron and its kingfisher.

Jude’s career began when she trained at Dunfermline College as a PE teacher and she taught at the Royal High school and then Garelochhead Outdoor centre, where she was able to feed her ideas about nature into her teaching methods, taking young people into the landscape and opening their eyes to what was there. After a spell running her own Art Deco antiques shop in Victoria Street, Jude then trained as a landscape architect at Edinburgh University, graduating in 1991 and took a job working on the Kilpatrick’s Project, in the urban fringe to the north west of Glasgow.

Jude worked as a landscape architect for Glasgow City Council in the early 1990s and appeared at one point in the local press as “The Barber of Hillhead” for her decision to allow what she considered to be overgrown and inappropriate trees to be removed…The irony, of course, is that she worked tirelessly to enhance the tree cover of the city, and was seldom without some acorns in her pocket. She would also keep a penknife handy to cut off tree ties that threatened to strangle trees.

Jude went self employed in 1996 and developed her interests in imaginative play areas for children, both in schools, parks and with community and arts organisations, such as The Lighthouse. But as usual, her interests were wider. For instance she also took groups of older women from Maryhill Women’s Centre on nature walks, and about the same time did an MPhil at Glasgow School of Art on her work with London Schools.

Jude had a great respect for people as individuals, and made a point of learning people’s names quickly... She was great at getting people to think about things for themselves and to express their opinions. There was nothing tokenistic about this – she really did want to get them to do it. Jude worked on many community projects, such as the Hidden Gardens at Tramway in Pollokshields, regeneration projects in Easterhouse, and further flung projects in London, working with Westminster Council, Stirling, Dunblane, and Dumfries and Galloway. More recently Jude returned to Glasgow City Council as a landscape architect, working on a project in Pollok Country Park among other things. Within the Landscape Environment Team of Regeneration Services Jude was able to engage with colleagues in a pro-active and positive way of working and her skills in community engagement were recognised as being example of good practice – an inspiration - which will have an on-going impact on the department.

Jude certainly had strong opinions, which she wasn’t reluctant to share. She disliked (the over use of) ornamental cherries that didn’t fruit. “What’s the point of that?” She hated hanging baskets on metal frames as proposed at Blythswood Square. She couldn’t see why schools that collected most litter should get a prize. “Shouldn’t it be the schools that generate the least litter?” She also had an ongoing battle against the tiered planters that Glasgow City Council seems to love.

At the Children’s Garden, last Easter, Jude helped to create what was meant to be a willow man. This somehow turned out to be a Willow woman, who was dressed up in a straw hat and ball gown all last year (except when children borrowed it to dress up). Jude was a person of strong principles and passion for what she did, but also had a great sense of fun. She really wanted to make a difference in a practical way. She leaves behind her many living willow sculptures, many play areas enjoyed by children, a fine professional body of work, countless friends, her partner Caroline Scott, her mother Margaret, sister Lindy, brothers Simon and John and her beloved nieces Rosie, Heather and Sally.

Being 42

A good friend of mine has just celebrated his 42nd birthday. This is what he said:

You might think that, I, being 42, would have something to say to the world. But actually not much. So I know I am incapable of constantly contributing to my own blog. So I have none.

Able to reach 42 and not causing great harm is quite an achievement and deserves rewards. Indeed, mine is a rewarding life. I am very aware of the fact that I am not an over-achiever but I am over-rewarded with comfort and peace. That is good enough for me.

As I am turning 42 shortly, I reflect on what I could say to the world. As a Franciscan friar, I just wish to continue what St Francis has been saying: preaching the Gospel of peace...

My friend is very grateful for all the grace -- in the form of comfort and peace -- received in his 42 years. I have known him for 37 years.... all the since Grade One at that little Morrison Hill Primary School. His friendship is certainly part of the blessings that I count year after year.

Come to think of it, there were not too many of us in Miss Chan's J1A Class of Morrison Hill Primary. Only 12. I wonder how the other 10 are doing, now that they have turned 42 or will do so soon. If anyone out there reading this is from Morrison Hill Primary School, please drop us a note. Meanwhile, hang in there...