So, obviously, there will now be a stream of posts covering what I realised about myself during those hours of introspection in the Eastern sun, what changes need to be made to the world around us in order to make it a better place, and so on...
Fat chance. The weekend is full - today I am off to see an in-law and good friend be made into a Catholic priest. It will be a rare occasion - it is not often that you get to attend someone's second ordination (his first was as an Anglican - if I am feeling cheeky then I may ask where he plans to go next).
Then I will be back to work, with a week's backlog to catch up. Ho Hum.
So, in brief, I have learnt that it is important to make space in life for the important things. I will be putting that into practice today, but will have to try from Monday onwards. Fingers crossed.
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*Can I go back to Norfolk now, please?
"I have returned to the 21st century; I have access to a laptop and my phone can find a signal."
ReplyDeleteCoverage in Norfolk not good, then? Odd, because that's where you might really, really need to make a mobile phone call in a hurry! :D
"...today I am off to see an in-law and good friend be made into a Catholic priest. It will be a rare occasion - it is not often that you get to attend someone's second ordination (his first was as an Anglican - if I am feeling cheeky then I may ask where he plans to go next). "
Well, sometimes you fancy Tesco, sometimes you fancy Sainsbury. Why not shop around for the spiritual brands, too?
Actually, it would have been very cheeky of me to ask that. It's not really that he felt like shopping around, it is more that (as I understood - others may know better) he felt that the CofE was both moving in directions that he felt was scriptually wrong, and also becoming intolerant of those who held his opinions.
ReplyDeleteSo, he decided to leave the parish, secure stipend, and home that the CofE was providing for him, and took what was (literally) a step of faith into the Catholic church. Very brave, IMHO.
"...he felt that the CofE was both moving in directions that he felt was scriptually wrong, and also becoming intolerant of those who held his opinions."
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't believe in anything myself, but I'd have thought, of the two, the CoE was the more forgiving and less hidebound by tradition.
Interesting to see that, for an insider, the opposite may be just as true!
It certainly is brave of him, that's for sure.
It wasn't that Adam did wrong that caused the sin. It was because he changed masters.
ReplyDeleteThis begs the question whose voice do you obey? How important is one own's happiness?
Please read 'one's own happiness'.
ReplyDeletethe CoE was the more forgiving and less hidebound by tradition
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of the problem. If you do happen to believe in something, then the CofE's "flexibility" becomes an irritant, not an asset, as they bend over backwards to be "inclusive". This tends to result in them trying to attract in people who may be (to your eyes) committing heresy, while pushing out those who think that the Church should have specific fixed principles.
It was because he changed masters
Very good! You mean the moment he listened to his Missus, presumably?
This begs the question whose voice do you obey?
Which is where conscience has to step in, to help you discern the correct voice.
How important is one own's happiness?
Very important indeed. The thing is, though, long term happiness flows from getting these things right. Short-term happiness does flow from the usual vices, and it can hurt when you give them up. But some of the happiest people I have seen have been the principled Churchy types. Which makes you think.
Not sure conscience is directly correlated to happiness tbh. Those without a conscience also seem rather happy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am not thinking hard enough, but I think I am. ;-)
Seem.
ReplyDelete;-)
P,
ReplyDeleteWas this the service you went to?
Measured,
Not sure conscience is directly correlated to happiness tbh. Those without a conscience also seem rather happy.
Perhaps JS Mill can help here then:
it is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied
To live according to conscience, is to live according to right reason. To live without reason is therefore to be fundamentally defective, it is to live without the highest part of us engaged in our lives. To be satisfied (or happy) in such a diminished state might be thought to be its own punishment and not real happiness at all.
Was this the service you went to?
ReplyDeleteNo, the one I went to was waaay longer than that.
Lucky you! I love long liturgies.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was this one then. You can watch it in 25 scintillating episodes.