Ave Maria

Sunday 10th January, 2021

I am not very good at my computer and find the cyberspace world a little daunting. Also I claim my iPad is as grumpy and curmudgeonly as me and only a little younger. When it fails to fire up I presume it has arthritis or a mild touch of old age forgetfulness. Yet today it has been the source of some joy.

I will skip over the continuing altercations re the Covid jab, which I found on its news page. I streamed Mass from Canada and was moved by the fact that the elderly priest was saying Mass for his Father on the anniversary of the latter's death. It was a good sermon concerning the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. He said it was important to proclaim faith by our lives, by living them fully. The same message came from the book I am reading by Carretto. Then on YouTube I came across a talk given by a school contemporary of mine. He has been a hermit in Ireland for over thirty years having initially spent time in a Benedictine Monastery in England. He was speaking of solitude, silence and prayer, the three pillars of the eremitical life. The faith needed for such a vocation leads to hermits being fully human, alive to the world in all its wonder and not people fleeing for fear but rather feeling to God and to full humanity.

I had a longish walk whereon I had three conversations across roads with people intrigued by my litter grabber. One lady, whom I bump in to quite often on my walks, asked how many bags I had picked up. I tried to recall....probably about 40 in twelve days. Then she pleased me by saying she had noticed the difference in the streets. Yet being a Sunday I recognised the after effects of a Saturday night and picked up more beer cans, take away food packaging than usual and even three empty wine bottles.

Getting home I decided to go online again and came across Jessye Norman's rendition of Schubert's Ave Maria. It was enthralling. I am sure it is very different from being in the Theatre with her live but it was still a glorious experience. As it came to an end I noted that the next YouTube slot was of the 'boy' who stunned his audience. It turned out he was born blind and autistic. His Mother was a drug addict and his father and she were unable to keep him. He was only 26 weeks when born and weighed 1lb and 1ounce. He had been adopted by his uncle and aunt into a family of four children. At the age of four, it seems, his Mother took him to music therapy as he was unable to communicate verbally.

It transformed his life. He had perfect pitch and great musical talent. We were shown his first performance at his church in the USA. He sang 'Open the eyes of my heart...I want to see you'. Well, I was in tears not only because of the remarkable nature of his transformation but also the beauty of the song and it's aptness. I noted over 41 million people had viewed it. Then up came another YouTube offering of his life story. He was now thirteen. So I followed a few more leads. I sat back and marvelled. The human spirit, the power of love and also the extraordinary fact of his and his family's Christian Faith. His name is Christopher Duffley.

The other member of my household has been to a major souk in Tunisia via Virtualtrip. I missed a little of it but caught the flavour. I was transported back to my days as a child in the Middle East. As the tour came to an end the guide focussed on the Grand Mosque of Souss. Delight of delights the muessin was calling the faithful to prayer. I thought his voice marvellous and I was flooded by a deep gratitude for my belief in a Creator God. As Christopher Duffley noted when speaking after one of his song and telling of himself, he was 10 at the time, " I am me".

I am me....and I seek my fullness of life in the God who created me and this world. I may not be much good at the world of technology but I am trying to be good at the world of living and loving.