Grassroots Liturgist

I am going to tell you three little stories, all true. At my University Chaplaincy, there was a library that doubled as a dining room, particularly on formal occasions.   There was a lovely old Victorian dining table with brass castors on the legs.   One evening, as several of us were gathered for dinner, one of those casters gave way.   Some of us desperately held up the heavy table as our chaplain told the other students to get something to prop up the leg.   They ran back with a book – a copy of the Holy Bible!! “NOT THE BIBLE!” exclaimed the incredulous chaplain. Compare that to an interview with Salman Rushdie that I saw many years ago.   He described how in his family, all books – not just Scripture – were so revered that if one fell to the floor, they were taught to pick it up, kiss it, and put it back in its place. One final anecdote: some months ago, my father died.   As I trawled through his stuff, I came across the last bus pass of his mo...

Do you remember being told, ‘Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you’? From my youngest days, I never really liked that aphorism.   It always seemed far too simplistic.   The central message, that we should rise above taunts, jeers and insults, is fair enough.   But words most certainly DO have power. I recall many years ago, a friend who was a dedicated and skilled primary school teacher, was sitting with one of my children – then aged 5 – as he was attempting some handwriting.   A well-judged word of encouragement, and suddenly he was trying all the harder, with noticeably improved results.   On the other hand, a careless or cruel word can cut someone down, destroy confidence or remove their sense of self-worth.   Who does not still harbour some memory of a hurtful word that someone said to you many, many years ago? On a bigger scale, words can inspire and live long in the memory: “We shall fight on the beaches…,” “As...