From the Chaplains

With the turning of the seasons, I tend to enter my decluttering phase. There is something in particular about autumn; maybe it’s the trees shedding their leaves, that beckons me to shed excess ‘stuff’. Going from room to room in the house, I find purging clothes, toys, and “stuff” we have accumulated always feels very cathartic.

Now in March, we enter autumn and a particularly holy month across the globe and within the Pymble community. The celebration Ramadan has now begun for Muslim families, Purim is about to begin for those of the Jewish faith, Holi for Hindu’s and Hola Moholla for Sikhs. This week, the Christian calendar was marked by the beginning of the Lenten Journey.

This week in chapel, we celebrated Ash Wednesday and the start of our 40-day pilgrimage that ends at Easter. The 40 days of Lent are characterised by Jesus’ 40-day spiritual journey. Following the guidance of his Spirit and the echoing words of his Father, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Jesus made his way into the wilderness of the Judean desert. Surviving there without food and water, he relied on the nourishment of his soul.

In the process of renewal, Jesus chose to surround himself by space: space to think, space to prioritise, space to listen to God within. It was not so much about deprivation, but the shedding of distractions that woo his heart away from God. Fasting meant the priorisation of his faith over that which was shiny, powerful and indulgent in this world.

Creating distance between the comfort of his home, his family and fridge, allowed room for his reliance on that which was other-worldy to powerfully rise.

It makes me wonder whether my desire to declutter my home is part of a deeper yearning to de-clutter my mind and my schedule, to prioritise my walk with God. My prayer is that as we enter this season of autumn, that we would be mindful that like the trees that surround us, there may be things in our lives that need to be shed. That in the shedding of old leaves, there would be space for new growth.

As we cross with God into the landscape of Lent and into the mystery that lies ahead of us, may we know at least this about ourselves: that our name, too, is Beloved.

Beloved is Where We Begin

If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.

Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has traveled this path
before you.

Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard
to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.

I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.

But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.

I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.

I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:

Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.

—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace

Reverend Cass Blake

College Chaplain