Refresh and Remember – October Clergy Reflection
As the nights draw in, the church invites us to turn our faces to deep and often painful themes: we remember the dead, we pray for peace conscious of wars still raging, we ask for the inspiration of the saints.
Recently I have been re-reading the work of local priest and poet G.M. Hopkins – a poet unafraid to enter the challenging places of the soul. One poem, which begins:
“Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend with thee”, takes God to task for seemingly allowing wrong to flourish while good people suffer. It ends with a plea: “Mine, O thou Lord of life, send my roots rain.
The words express longing for refreshment in a time of spiritual aridity. But Hopkins was expert at layering meaning into language, and I am struck by the first word of that line. “Mine” obviously means “my own”. But it also references the task of mining, of digging deep in order to find what is precious: an invitation to God to carve out and cherish what is most essential in the depths of Hopkins’s being, and then nurture it with life giving rain.
As the nights lengthen and the church invites us to remember, to reflect, to find our courage, I offer you these words in the hope that in moments of need, you will have the audacity to pray: Mine, O thou Lord of life, send my roots rain.
