Day 31 of the End to End went as far as Gloucester. This would be over 300 miles from Land’s End and the end of the first section of the walk. What better place to mark this achievement than at Gloucester Cathedral. One of the great Gothic Cathedrals of England it has a long and complex history, more than its fair share of monuments and a quiet cool atmosphere. It’s no museum: home to a thriving forward thinking community in 2016 it became the oldest building in the world to be adapted to generate power using a solar installation.
Inside it was the light that struck me. Each Cathedral I’ve ever visited, whether ancient or modern, has something to say about light. Hardly surprising as it is a key theme in the Christian gospel. Even so, as human beings, we will probably never quite capture the whole message light has for us, even though we try very often and in many ways.
Here in Gloucester Cathedral the light message comes in stone and glass and space with the whole cosmos streaming in to make reminder of the incarnation of the Light. Poets and musicians are also reflected as those who have illuminated the subject. Ivor Gurney was a chorister here and is remembered: ‘Do not forget me quite, O Severn Meadows’.
One year on, in the Spring of 2020, we had a couple of showery days, light obscured by clouds leaping back out again as they pass. The roll of those who have died of COVID19 mounts daily and more and more people find themselves in the dark wondering if the light will ever come back. They lament the distance the virus has put between them and those they mourn. In some cultures politicians have words and rites for mourning that they weave between statistics. Not ours it seems. There’s a real separation of Church and State as the press conferences roll on and on and death is only mentioned clinically. If you have been affected by these issues and need more support, ring a helpline, is the well rehearsed tag.
Outside Gloucester Cathedral in 2019 was dark enough. A spring thunderstorm had blown in and the pavements bore testimony to the old rhyme. It’s no wonder Dr Foster never returned. But we would, in five days time. Until then a brief rest with the memory of the light and the meadows of the Severn.
From the remembered gospel
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never got the better of it.
Light Bringer, mourn with us.
In the darkest spaces, may the gentle glow come again.
As the statistics roll across the screen,
help us to breathe our humanity into each number and name.
May we do whatever it takes to bring a sliver of light to lock down:
an apple cake on the doorstep, a kiss through the window.
Kindle in us that hunger for your justice
that lights your kindom and never goes out.
JAL: 02.05.2020 in Longdendale.
[You may notice I always use the word kindom rather than kingdom. It’s not a typos. I prefer the former as a word reflecting a gender equal space]