Notes from Bambi – Page 2 – Traveller's notes

Hope for the cenobites

Dear Benedict,

I usually start with one word, but this phrase caught my eye this morning. The cenobites are the chosen when it comes to your Rule. It might be argued that the Rule is hope enough, but then ….

Many people eat potatoes (if they can afford them) but few people have a diet made up entirely of mashed potato. Of course even mashed potato can be dressed up as bubble and squeak but however much you like mashed potato from time to time the urge to break out for a chip or roastie will come upon even the most dedicated mashed potato lover.

So too with cenobites. It’s not now a word in common use but it refers to those monastics who live under a rule and the leadership of an Abbot in a stable community. Your Rule is for them.

Having tried the solitary life yourself you advocated for communal life. I’m pretty sure you must have wandered about a bit too, but you advocated for the settled life. You promote a path of stability lived in common with others.

I’m not all that fond of mashed potato but I’ll eat it. This week saw the #nationalfishandchipday and that’s something I’d celebrate any day of the year (suggestions for a Saint of fish and chips welcome). I wander from one fish and chip shop to another and particularly enjoy visiting those that have won awards from Shap to Kilmarnock. But I do usually wander back again and settle in the valley and listen to the geese.

I’m not a good cenobite. But I’m getter better at being an anarchist, at least being a follower of Holy Anarchy. My friend, Graham wrote the book and talked about it on line a week ago. You can watch it here.

So why do cenobites need Holy Anarchy? Because they need a change from mashed potato. I can admire cenobites but I still need a more varied diet. Mostly I need to live with those who are committed to recovering nonheirarchical affirming and creative forms of community in which everyone can flourish, that uses language creatively, that is willing to unpack the abusive aspects of past behaviour, that isn’t bound by the ‘that will never work here’ creed, that doesn’t consider my body parts an obstacle to my calling. I’m looking forward to the #NationalFishandChipAwards and I hope you are too, you lovely cenobites.

From my remembered bible: Jesus said ‘I will show you how to fish’

Give hope to the cenobites!

From an Friend of Scholastica living in Longdendale.

Language

Dear Benedict

In chapter 6 of your Rule you commend silence and even go as far as to say that ‘good words are to be left unsaid out of esteem for silence.’

I’ve made it clear before that there are many kinds of silence. As a speech therapist I’m familiar with some. Imposed silence, silence that seeks to silence others with whom we disagree or that we have abused is not the kind of silence anyone should commend. Of course you were probably not doing that in chapter 6. You, and many other monastics, think that silence freely chosen and followed with care and joy, is at the heart of the life of a faithful community. It was probably a valuable idea when you advanced it and many in such orders value it now.

That was before enforced silence became the trademark of domination and abuse in many denominations and in secular contexts too numerous to list. That was before language chosen by dominant groups to silence some and divide communities became such sharp weapons.

This week we are once again faced with the use of divisive and corrosive language. Once again it is in respect of immigration, an area in which language has played a crucial dividing role for a century of more. An area, in which I would argue, any Good-enough Benedictine cannot be silent.

One of the other hallmarks of Benedictine spirituality is hospitality. All are welcome. I wonder what you think we should do when two parts of the Rule come into conflict with each other. Is there are order of precedence?

If we, as a society, are to be welcoming to the most vulnerable should we keep silent about the language used to demonise such people? The answer surely has to be no. Whatever our role in a community, from the least well known to the celebratory we need to register our opposition to lies and exaggeration that lead to negativity and hate being directed towards those who seek refuge. The roles of ‘teacher’ and ‘disciple’ do not work in such a context.

Listening remains vital. We must listen especially to the weakest and quietest voices. We must understand the unspoken hierarchy of silencing. When a person sees their role as the silencing of others, that’s a dangerous route. Anyone who needs to tell someone else to ‘be quiet’ or to ‘give them a good talking to’ in order to keep them quiet should be questioned. Why does the breaking of silence seem threatening?

When a disabled person first gets a voice through an electronic communication aid they should not be told to ‘stop playing with your toy.’ When an abused person finally gets enough courage to name their abuser they should not find their testimony tied up in red tape. When a survivor finds the words to sing of their salvation we should all cry Magnificat!

And when politicians show sings of forgetting the pattern of history by which people were ‘othered’, demonised, segregated and taken away only half a continent from here, they should listen not to their own voices but to the voices of those raised on behalf of the weakest and most vulnerable. It is not Benedictine to keep silent in the face of oppression.

From my remembered bible: Your speech has the power to cut people dead or give them life. Use it wisely.

May my voice be used to support the most vulnerable.

Written in Longdendale by a Friend of Scholastica. 10.03.2023

Struggle

At times I find it a struggle to read the Rule. It’s long (even the short bits) or at least longer than my attention allows, and boring. It’s easier to go out into the valley and look for fungi or geese or something unexpected.

I know that Benedict’s Rule is followed by a lot of people and at its most basic level I follow it too. I stick to the bits I remember and come back time and again to ‘Listen’. The rest of it I dip into now and again but sometimes I just leave it.

A table prepared in Roughfields, Longdendale

I first encountered people who did Liberation Theology in South Africa in the 1980s. I was visiting my brother, a mining engineer in the Transvaal. I went to see some people in Gaborone, Botswana, and they gave me the Kairos Document, a landmark in the opposition of the churches to Apartheid. I was hooked. My wishy-washy white liberal theology couldn’t stand the onslaught of the argument. It wasn’t just a case of not eating their apples, I found a much more political and justice orientated faith in South Africa, and I went back for more several times.

Eventually, after 1994 (we were there for the first democratic elections) I came back to UK determined to use my understanding in ministry. I practised contextual bible study using the remembered bible here for over 20 years, despite of vocal opposition and, more commonly, apathy. I wrote about my encounters with people using the remembered bible. I got on with the struggle.

These days my journey is gentler. I’m not so busy but I am still frustrated and angry with churches and church people who seem to think justice is optional, which is why these days I avoid them more. Justice is a still a fundamental aspect of my faith, and these days that means justice for those forced to live in poverty, for women and for those working to limit climate change. So, can you find this sort of stuff in the Rule of St Benedict?

I’ve not studied it as long as some people so I’m not an expert. I’m an ordinary person when it comes to the Rule but one with a background in Biblical Studies and Theology so I know something about critical questioning and interpretation. Even so, I’d say it’s not easy.

Benedict was writing in the 6th century for what were essentially self-sustaining local communities living together. Most of the time he’s concerned about what psalms to sing day and night and not about carbon footprints. Most monastic communities would have used local supply chains or grown their own produce. This was a pre-industrial age so no one was exploiting oil or discarding plastic willy-nilly. So of course, he couldn’t have written about that specifically.

The idea that a community should be self-supporting and engaged locally is now more popular again. So that does seem relevant even if other parts of the Rule are less easy to apply. Excommunication may mean something different now (say some) but it’s never meant much to me. Other say that they are able to apply the Rule to both men and women, but again it’s a struggle to see it in feminist terms. But it is particularly the lack of referents to justice that erk me. Leadership under the Rule is considered largely benign. It doesn’t self-promote, grasp, lie or abuse or do any of the negative things we equate with leadership failures today in both Church and State. Unrealistic you might think but then remember, this was the age of the saints. Benedict is writing about ideals. Everyone has a beam in their own eye.

Now we know that leadership easily opts for the self-promoting way and abuse of many kinds is a common coin across many contexts. This makes it impossible for some to engage with faith based communities at all.

In our own village, people from different churches and faith groups co-operate on a local level to support their neighbours with food, warmth, company and such like. This has been the winter of Warm Space in which a small bunch of those who are not economically active support other who are less economically viable by using free or reduce price produce from supermarkets owned by billionaires to make meals that our neighbours couldn’t afford to buy or cook for themselves.

There are those who ask me if this is real. Are their really people who can’t afford to live on basics, heat their homes and so on? Are they not just taking advantage of our generosity? When that happens I invite them to visit this village, just one small place in NW Derbyshire. I also suggest they try to get to know they people they live alongside better.

For me the Rule is not my basic document when it comes to my response to issues like this. I’m a biblical scholar and my go to faith resource is the bible. ‘When I was hungry you fed me’. I’m not saying Benedict wouldn’t do this too, although you might have had to wait outside for a few days before you got let in. Benedict often quotes the bible in the Rule, but he’s not a critical bible user. He’s not concerned about who wrote it, when and with what agenda. Psalms are for worship not political propaganda as far as he’s concerned.

Even so, it’s at a practical level we co-operate across faith divides in our village. We can serve bread with our soup but some wouldn’t take it from my hands if I blessed it and called it the body of Christ. Around the communal table everyone present agrees they don’t support this divide and want an end to it. What do I make of that? Why is the continuing authority of a few denying food to the majority, in both Church and State?

This morning I made some more soup. It was from left over stuff billionaires could afford to pass on. The struggle is still in me, the struggle for justice I mean. Will the Rule help me sustain it? I’m still not sure about all of it but I will go back to basics and ‘Listen’.

From my remembered bible: This is what God requires: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.

May everyone be fed.

Janet Lees in Longdendale, 04.03.2023

Soup

Begin with something to make the soup base. The way I prefer to do this is with chopped onions and a little garlic. Fry these gently in a small amount of vegetable oil until they are soft and golden. Then add the chopped vegetables you are going to use in this week’s super soup. This can be anything at all – although watery things like lettuce and cucumber are not so good in this kind of soup (but can be fine in lighter summer soups). Remember that what you choose will affect the look of the eventual soup. Carrot makes most things orange, or brown if with something green. Some people like brown soup. Potato will thicken most things but other vegetables will have a similar affect, like sweet potatoes, squash or similar. Stir the chopped vegetables around a bit. Consider the seasoning options. Ground turmeric is nice and goes well with some ginger to make a warming soup that is bright and encouraging. Ground coriander also goes well, and fresh coriander can add a green finish to a soup if you add it at the end. Cumin seeds or ground cumin give a lovely flavour but experiment with things a bit and see what you like. This can be fun but bear in mind that not all members of your community will agree. Add vegetable stock or water and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the vegetables are soft but not soggy. I usually use a blender to finish the soup because I like a thick velvety texture. Some prefer not to do this or to leave some chunks in for guessing games.

I have been performing this litany once a week since October. Due to the cost of living crisis we can get free vegetables from supermarkets who can’t sell all their vegetables. With these free vegetables we can make free soup to serve people who can’t afford to buy vegetables. We serve it at a small village church that is heated by the giving of people who can only just about afford to keep warm to people who can’t afford to turn on their heating. Some people call this progress. Others call it charity. I call it a disgrace.

But I’m loathe to waste good vegetables or have people go cold and hungry. Unfortunately Benedict doesn’t really do this kind of politics in his Rule. He does commend kitchen service (Chapter 35).

From my remembered bible: Hurry up and help us God!

Soup makers creed:

I believe in God, creator, ingredients maker of all things heavenly and earthy,

And in Jesus Christ, food multiplyer, crowd feeder,

Born of the homemaker Mary of Nazareth, getting by on the basics.

This soup was made with love and free vegetables.

Janet Lees, Living in Longdendale, 03.02.2023

Marys

Four Christmas cards……

From Nazareth

The cold, still, starry nights remind me of Bethlehem. Glory to God in the highest. See you in Jerusalem for Passover.

Love from Mary of Nazareth.

From Magdala

The cold, still, starry nights remind me of our journey through Galilee. Give us this day our daily bread. See you in Jerusalem for Passover.

Love from Mary of Magdala.

From Bethany

The cold, still starry nights remind me of the waiting when Lazarus died. Only the grave is more silent. See you in Jerusalem for Passover.

Love from Mary of Bethany.

From Emmaus

The cold, still starry nights remind me of everything we shared. When I bake bread I remember. See you in Jerusalem for Passover.

Love from Mary of Emmaus.

The Love of God comes close where stands an open door

Janet Lees in Longdendale: 14.12.2022

Pilgrim

Dear Benedict: One thing that has characterised this phase of my life is being on the move. I keep walking, even if it may not be as much as in 2019, when I completed the End to End. Each day includes, where possible, the little end to end. To embark on pilgrimage, first go up the High Street as if it’s sacred ground: the butcher’s is closed, the baker get’s up at 3 am, they still sell candles in a couple of shops. In a holy valley like Longdendale, what ever the weather, something is trickling down one gulley or another, from the top reservoir to the bottom. But here like other places in England, there’s a partial drought and the behaviour of reservoirs is not a good image for how to treat real people when it comes to economics.

This week has been another of my roving weeks. When on the move I take a few things with me: my phone stands in for many things, but also a paper map for backup, and my remembered bible and remembered rule. Days away from home are different from days at home. Here I’m sat down writing. There I’m on the move, observing and reflecting. A balance between these is my current pilgrim life.

My adventures took me to Angelsey, Yns Mon, across the Menai Bridge where only bicycles can overtake bicycles. I visited four small churches on the island, sometimes on islands next to the island. These probably all began life as hermit cells and are not often used today, though each is still a part of a local group of churches.

St Tysilio’s Church on church Island, Menai.

St Tysilio’s near Menai Bridge is on Church Island which is joined to the main island by causeway. Lit by candlelight, an open door explained that it was founded in 630AD. These are churches of the Celtic version of the faith that was circulating in the West well before Augustine, a Benedictine, turned up in Canterbury (597AD). Simple, less heirarchical and misinformed (according to Rome) about the date of Easter, these small hermitages have been visited by local people for centuries. The early Celtic saints were often on the move and Tysilio is said to have died in Brittany, where the great western seaway took him.

The Church in the Sea is also linked by a causeway to the main island, but is only accessible at low tide, the journey made over a trail of rocks.

St Cwyfan’s Church in the Sea, near Aberffraw

A simple building, services are still held during the summer. Through the window I could see the font surrounded by sea shells, sign of the pilgrim’s baptismal vows renewed.

Sea shells surround the font at the Church in the Sea.

Lligwy Chapel, built in the 12th century, is now a ruin, its community having moved away. There’s no note of it being dedicated to any saint, but all saints came here and in the 16th century at least some were buried here. It stands within a circle of boulders in a meadow not far from an ancient settlement that dates to the Roman occupation and a Neolithic burial mound, all of which indicates this ground has been considered holy since at least 2,500 BC.

The final one of the four is dedicated to St Seiriol and is a small well chamber alongside the ruins of the Augustinian Abbey at Penmon, proof that one St Augustine did finally catch up with the inhabitants of Angelsey. But it was the other St Augustine, this time from Hippo who’s writings date to about 400 AD. St Seiriol is remembered as one of the early Welsh Fathers, and his occupation of the site dates to the 6th century.

The Penmon cross now housed in the Abbey, 9th century, is incised with simple Celtic patterns.

I’ll end my pilgrimage at St Seiriol’s Well, which is behind the Abbey. This well probably has, like most holy wells in Wales, pre Christian origins. Wells have been sites of pilgrimage for generations and the water here still runs clear.

I love to visit the homes of the saints, ancient and modern. Each spot reminds me that at sometime someone else sat here and prayed. I join in the timeless action.

From my remembered bible: The swallow makes its nest near your altar.

Note that swallows are migratory birds even now leaving Britain until next spring.

May my prayer migrate as I pray for the migrating ones, all who are travelling beyond borders.

From A Friend of Scholastica and a Member of the Lay Community of St Benedict.

Janet Lees, Angelsey, 17-24 September 2022.

Leadership

Dear Benedict

Although I started writing to you nearly two years ago, there were bits of your Rule that I missed out. I’m now returning to chapter 2 which is quite long so this is only about the first paragraph. It’s about leadership and especially the qualities of a good leader.

The Ruthwell Cross, an Anglo-Saxon sculpture remembering the ways of the Cross-Wise One

With Queen Elizabeth II having died three days ago, there’s a lot of talk around about leadership and especially about hers. This makes it timely to talk about the kind of leadership proposed in your Rule. Commentators agree that it wasn’t the kind of leadership that would have been familiar to folks in 6th century Europe. Look at it carefully and we can see it’s not the kind of leadership familiar to people in 21st century Britain either.

Community leaders are ‘believed to hold the place of Christ’. That takes me to the Jesus of the gospels, our human entry point into seeing God at work in the world. It’s a fair step from 1st century wandering Aramaic preacher to 21st century leader, on either the local or global stage. We talk about Christian values but often shy away from the radical nature of their demands.

Stone cross in field boundary, probably dating from 6-7th century, Cornwall.

Jesus was not upholding the status quo of the religious institutions of his day. He did not point to local or global political leaders as heralding the reign of God but to another kin-dom based on the activity of the seeds of small plants. Most of what is remembered of what he said (and it would have had to have been remembered before it was written down) turns the human ideas of that day and this upside down. He was regularly criticised for hanging out with the wrong people, often those on the margins of the the society of which he was a part.

We on the other hand take a pick and mix approach, choosing the bits we like and leaving the rest under the carpet. Former Primer Ministers may praise the late Queen’s honesty and humility and conveniently overlook their own lack of either of this qualities, for example. Or the new Home Secretary might say too many people claim state benefits in support of income whilst herself earning a six figure sum. These ways of speaking and acting are not, it seems to me, at all Christ-like.

The leaders of the community you describe do not get praise heaped upon them, but neither do they get trolled. They are not expected to make a fuss but just get on with the role God has called them to. There is some similarity between this interpretation and the life of the late Queen Elizabeth, except for the reported 500 million pound fortune and the multiple large mansions. A Queen is after all a queen and inherits all the baggage of state and history into the bargain.

The monastic leader is not in this league, although eventually of course there were monastic leaders who got the wrong interpretation of leadership roles in the past, accumulated too much wealth or abused power in other ways. Some of these have been unmasked and the abuse of religious power was one of the things that contributed to the Reformation in Europe. Unfortunately too much of the Church is still rich making it difficult for some to see it as on their side of those on the social margins. It may be understandable to think that the worship of the Triune God requires our best; huge wealthy buildings and posh clothes, but there’s nothing in the gospels to suggest this and everything to indicate it wasn’t the way Jesus lived his life.

Closer view of the Ruthwell Cross, Dumfries and Galloway

When leaders are ‘believed to hold the place of Christ’ we might imagine him washing people’s feet, touching lepers, eating with excluded people and the like. These are not just things he did for photo opportunities. He actually lived like that: no home base, no comfortable existence. Most of our leaders, local and global, would not embrace such conditions.

It is said of the late Queen Elizabeth that when Pope Francis asked her to pray for him, she said she would. It’s the very least we can do and it’s an important beginning. If we want to see a greater Christ-likeness in our leaders then we must pray for them.

From my remembered gospel: The kin-dom of God is like …..

Pray for me as I pray for you.

From a Friend of Scholastic and the Member of the Lay community of St Benedict.

Janet Lees, Longdendale, 10.09.2022.

Summer

Dear Benedict

I know that summer is nearing it’s end when the valley becomes full of fluff and geese calling. The fluff comes from the thistles and willow herb so abundant here. As the deep purple of the heather wanes, the fluffy seed heads of these proliferant plants explode and set the next generation free on the wind. The geese are also getting restive. Morning and evening they call, their own Lauds and Compline ringing out across the valley as they encourage their companions. It will soon be time for a long flight.

There’s always something on the move in the valley, from tiny bugs to large lorries, some more welcome than others. In chapter 61 of your Rule you explain the welcome that other monastics might expect when visiting a community. In your time too, people were on the move, looking for a place to put down roots and live alongside like-minded people. Although you earlier express your dissatisfaction with gyrovagues (those that wander about) in chapter 61 you seem more accepting that folks will wander about, and more ready to welcome those who do, providing they are not too disruptive.

As one of the more disruptive ones, that made me laugh. Summer, is for me a time of wandering (but then Spring, Autumn and Winter may be as well!). Like the geese I tend to keep my liturgy simple, morning and evening, thanks, reflection and commitment to the valley and the day. I visit my favourite places, watch the sun cross the sky or some other weather, plant my feet on familiar paths. I have snippets of psalms to accompany me and I know the Watching One is awake in the hills (Psalm 121).

A friend reused this old lamps from Bambi to make plant pots.

From time to time I stop on someone’s doorstep: the community foodbank perhaps, to take a turn in deliveries whilst someone else is on holiday. After finding some treasure in a skip I delivered that to my friend who has a reuse, recycle and repurpose shop in the high street. Once a month I join a small group of repairers who try to puzzle out how to extend the life of items bought in by other villagers to the Repair Cafe. So far I’ve eaten more cake than repaired things.

How disruptive was I? Well, you’ll have to ask the others about that. Meanwhile, I’ll keep company with the geese.

From my remembered bible: The Watching One is always awake.

Watch me as I wander.

From a Friend of Scholastica and a Member of the Lay Community of St Benedict.

Janet Lees, Longdendale, 28.08.2022.

End to End via the Churches: part 2

In the hot summer of 2022 I’m reblogging the cooler summer of 2019, especially the churches I visited on my End to End. We take up the route at Truro Cathedral, where this sign urged me onwards.

Probus Parish Church was not far further on and you can see my boots reflected in the figures of the Remembrance Campaign for 2018: There but not there. The thing we most remember about Probus is the fish and chip shop (of course). They gave a generous donation to Hannah’s walk ten years ago when we walked through in the rain. The chips are also good.

St Mewan Parish church, the next day, was also very welcoming with free drinks and chocolate biscuits. It’s not far from the great cathedral-like bio-domes of the Eden Project. You do get a reduction on the entrance price at the Eden Project for arriving on foot.

Next it was up and over Bodmin Moor. The Doniert Stone is worth a look. Thought to date from the 9th century it commemorates Doniert, the last king of Cornwall. There are many stone monuments, from the Neolithic onwards, on Bodmin Moor.

Walking onto Launceston where the Parish Church is quite large and dedicated to Mary Magdalene, seen here sleeping on the back wall. She is remembered in a poem by Charles Causley, Cornish poet from the town. He recalls an old custom of flipping a penny onto her back as you pass by.

On the way out of Launceston, this well house is one of several I visited on the End to End. Water holds a special place in our lives and is often celebrated in our landscape. This is to be particularly remembered in times of drought like the current one in 2022.

Old Cornish well house near St Stephen’s.

That’s it from Cornwall – next episode I get to Devon!

From my remembered bible: Look for the road that leads to life.

Mary, Mary Magdalene
lying on the wall,
I throw a pebble on your back,
Will it lie or fall?

Words by Charles Causley.

Janet Lees, in Longdendale, 14.08.2022

End to End via the Churches, part 1

Welcome to a bit of a summer blog about the churches I visited on my End to End in 2019 that was inspired by a recent conversation on Twitter. The actual blog on the 2019 End to End started in April of that year and took 117 days for a distance of 1110 miles. At that time most Parish churches in England were open, though I can’t say what you will find now. Some other churches were open from to time time, depending on local conditions and events, like flower festivals and the like. There will be several parts to this blog because there were a lot of churches and because I started at Land’s End we have the South West up first. In part 1 I’ll cover Land’s End to Truro.

St Sennen, founded 520AD

St Sennen church under blue sky, April 2019

Founded before Columba landed on Iona or Augustine made it to Kent, the early date of this foundation is probably accounted for by missionaries between West Ireland and Brittany. There are a lot of unusual saints names in Western Cornwall for this reason. The church yard and surrounding path include several early stone slab crosses.

2. Borah Chapel, 1878

West Cornwall is also full of chapels, often in very small villages. not all of these survive as places of worship but, like this one at Borah, have been converted to other, often domestic use. Interesting because many of the nonconformist denominations began as worshipping communities in people’s homes. The tradition has come full circle in some places, like Borah.

3. St Michael’s Mount

Not actually visited in 2019, I have crossed the causeway several times over the years. Named for the Archangel himself (rather than a brand of underwear), it’s an interesting spot, under the care of the National Trust.

4. Marazion Methodist Church

This village is on the SW Coast path opposite St Michael’s Mount. The church has a history of of hospitality and shelter. We once left our tandem there and they kindly kept an eye on it.

5. St Hilary Parish Church

This is a fascinating place, with early stone slab crosses in the churchyard and inside the remains of a Roman stone inscription. The interior is also decorated with painting by local people of the early Cornish Saints.

6. Gwennap Pit

Associated with early Methodism, this is an open air place of worship, visit by John Wesley. There is also a small Methodist Chapel on the site. Wesley is said to have preached at Gwennap Pit 18 times between 1762 and 1789.

6. St Kea Parish Church

Another delightful Parish Church named for a local Cornish Saint, the small village of St Kea is just off the A39 on the way to Truro. We had a picnic in the churchyard.

7. Truro Cathedral

The first Cathedral on my LEJOG route was at Truro. It has a small pigrim chapel inside the main door, otherwise you’ll need to pay the entrance fee for the main part of the building. The style is Victorian Gothic and it was built between 1880 and 1910.

From my remembered bible: Come and be a living stone!

One more step along the world I go……

Janet Lees, one time End to Ender, now living in Longdendale.