Think Faith
11 February 2009
BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day is a popular part of many people’s morning routine. But other thoughts are available if you listen to local stations in the Clifton Diocese. BBC Radio Bristol broadcast a live thought every morning as part of their breakfast programme and in Somerset, 10Radio do likewise.
Father Robert King, the Catholic Chaplain at the University of Bristol, along with Father Gerry Walsh Parish Priest of St Joseph’s in Portishead and Dean of Weston-super-Mare, are regular contributors to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day.
Last month cliftondiocese.com brought you the text of Father Robert’s thought as he reflected on hope following a momentous event in the United States.
Our report brought a positive reaction from cliftondiocese.com visitors and we’ll now bring you the text of all the thoughts broadcast by priests of our diocese wherever they are broadcast. The only previous Thought for the Day cliftondiocese.com had published was the one given by Canon Robert Corrigan, then Dean of Clifton Cathedral, on the morning of Pope John Paul II’s funeral.
Father Robert returns for another run of thoughts in May. You’ll be able to listen to him every Wednesday during that month and read his thoughts later on cliftondiocese.com. You can also tune into Father Robert on BCfm’s Face to Faith every Monday at 3.00 pm. Father Robert has a regular weekly feature where he’s picked up the tag ‘cultural cleric’, as he gives his views on films, plays, exhibitions, music and many others creative aspects of life in Bristol.
Meanwhile in Somerset, Father Bob Rainbow the communicative Parish Priest of St John Fisher in Wellington delivers his thoughts on 10Radio.
Father Bob is booked to broadcast most second Tuesdays at about 7.45 am. 10Radio is so-called as it covers ten parishes in West Somerset. The ten places are: Ashbrittle, Bathealton, Brompton Ralph, Chipstable, Clatworthy, Fitzhead, Huish Champflower, Milverton and Stawley.
You can listen to 10Radio on 105.3FM in West Somerset or live online everywhere else. Tune in to Tuesday’s breakfast programme with Nigel and Lavinia and you might just catch Father Bob with this thought.
This is what Father Bob thought about yesterday (10 February).
Good morning!
What is your self-image? How do you see yourself? Brave? Resourceful? Or perhaps inadequate; struggling?
And how do others see you? Do they confirm your own description, or not? And who’s right?
In my role as a priest, I spend a quarter of my week as the part-time Catholic chaplain at the St Augustine of Canterbury shared Catholic and Anglican church school in Taunton, where Mrs Liz Lewis, incidentally one of the youngest-looking grandmothers I have ever met, is the part-time Anglican chaplain. We work completely hand-in-glove in the chaplaincy, supporting students and staff; and I was greatly intrigued by a DVD film Liz showed at a whole-school “Act of Worship” there, 10 days ago. It was a professional film for young people about this thing of self-image. As the commentator talked during the film, a person was seen from behind with a name on their T-shirt. Then they pulled off their shirt, to reveal another shirt with another name, and this went though dozens of shirts and names; names like stupid; gay; weak; disabled; proud; boastful; conceited; self-opinionated; while the commentator asked what does really matter- who are “you?”
The Christian church was challenged in just this way recently, when the news media made a big thing about London buses carrying an advertisement proclaiming, “God probably doesn’t exist, now stop worrying!” It greatly intrigued me, for the underlying assumption the atheists who paid for these banners had used, appeared to be that if you are a Christian, or any other theist, believer in a god, it’s only because you’re scared of something: perhaps hell, or eternal punishment, or some sort of vengeful, unforgiving god.
Is that really the image people tarnish us Christians with: Are we really seen as sad, no-hopers? Because if so, I feel like changing my religion pretty darn quick! How pathetic; how truly sad.
Many people had a vengeful image of God imposed on them as kids to make them toe the family line, or the school line, or whatever. So it is a pity if a very inadequate childhood image and attitude, still rules anyone in their adulthood. Something more mature is needed; and for myself, if my faith was ever founded on fear, that was so far back I can’t remember; and I now rejoice in my God when I think what he has done for me and all of us- offering a truly beautiful world, with many, many truly beautiful people in it; and after the more difficult times are over, a promise of eternal joy with him. All I have to do is really want it, and he empowers me to do the rest!
In chaplain Liz’s film, we finally got down to the final T-shirt, and when that was removed, there was the raw skin of the person’s back; and on it was a real, human name- Jack, or Julie; a person’s real name. And that was the only name that actually mattered- the name of who each of us really is not what others cat-call us, but the single, totally unique integrity that is you or me.
Next time you feel down, or next time someone tries to unfairly label you, just remember who you really are the beloved of God, ready for a career in a wonderful world!
As another and, I think, far greater slogan I once saw on a convent wall said: “Be sure to smile and have a nice day- it frustrates those who have other plans for you!”
Do have a nice one today!
BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day is a popular part of many people’s morning routine. But other thoughts are available if you listen to local stations in the Clifton Diocese. BBC Radio Bristol broadcast a live thought every morning as part of their breakfast programme and in Somerset, 10Radio do likewise.
Father Robert King, the Catholic Chaplain at the University of Bristol, along with Father Gerry Walsh Parish Priest of St Joseph’s in Portishead and Dean of Weston-super-Mare, are regular contributors to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day.
Last month cliftondiocese.com brought you the text of Father Robert’s thought as he reflected on hope following a momentous event in the United States.
Our report brought a positive reaction from cliftondiocese.com visitors and we’ll now bring you the text of all the thoughts broadcast by priests of our diocese wherever they are broadcast. The only previous Thought for the Day cliftondiocese.com had published was the one given by Canon Robert Corrigan, then Dean of Clifton Cathedral, on the morning of Pope John Paul II’s funeral.
Father Robert returns for another run of thoughts in May. You’ll be able to listen to him every Wednesday during that month and read his thoughts later on cliftondiocese.com. You can also tune into Father Robert on BCfm’s Face to Faith every Monday at 3.00 pm. Father Robert has a regular weekly feature where he’s picked up the tag ‘cultural cleric’, as he gives his views on films, plays, exhibitions, music and many others creative aspects of life in Bristol.
Meanwhile in Somerset, Father Bob Rainbow the communicative Parish Priest of St John Fisher in Wellington delivers his thoughts on 10Radio.
Father Bob is booked to broadcast most second Tuesdays at about 7.45 am. 10Radio is so-called as it covers ten parishes in West Somerset. The ten places are: Ashbrittle, Bathealton, Brompton Ralph, Chipstable, Clatworthy, Fitzhead, Huish Champflower, Milverton and Stawley.
You can listen to 10Radio on 105.3FM in West Somerset or live online everywhere else. Tune in to Tuesday’s breakfast programme with Nigel and Lavinia and you might just catch Father Bob with this thought.
This is what Father Bob thought about yesterday (10 February).
Good morning!
What is your self-image? How do you see yourself? Brave? Resourceful? Or perhaps inadequate; struggling?
And how do others see you? Do they confirm your own description, or not? And who’s right?
In my role as a priest, I spend a quarter of my week as the part-time Catholic chaplain at the St Augustine of Canterbury shared Catholic and Anglican church school in Taunton, where Mrs Liz Lewis, incidentally one of the youngest-looking grandmothers I have ever met, is the part-time Anglican chaplain. We work completely hand-in-glove in the chaplaincy, supporting students and staff; and I was greatly intrigued by a DVD film Liz showed at a whole-school “Act of Worship” there, 10 days ago. It was a professional film for young people about this thing of self-image. As the commentator talked during the film, a person was seen from behind with a name on their T-shirt. Then they pulled off their shirt, to reveal another shirt with another name, and this went though dozens of shirts and names; names like stupid; gay; weak; disabled; proud; boastful; conceited; self-opinionated; while the commentator asked what does really matter- who are “you?”
The Christian church was challenged in just this way recently, when the news media made a big thing about London buses carrying an advertisement proclaiming, “God probably doesn’t exist, now stop worrying!” It greatly intrigued me, for the underlying assumption the atheists who paid for these banners had used, appeared to be that if you are a Christian, or any other theist, believer in a god, it’s only because you’re scared of something: perhaps hell, or eternal punishment, or some sort of vengeful, unforgiving god.
Is that really the image people tarnish us Christians with: Are we really seen as sad, no-hopers? Because if so, I feel like changing my religion pretty darn quick! How pathetic; how truly sad.
Many people had a vengeful image of God imposed on them as kids to make them toe the family line, or the school line, or whatever. So it is a pity if a very inadequate childhood image and attitude, still rules anyone in their adulthood. Something more mature is needed; and for myself, if my faith was ever founded on fear, that was so far back I can’t remember; and I now rejoice in my God when I think what he has done for me and all of us- offering a truly beautiful world, with many, many truly beautiful people in it; and after the more difficult times are over, a promise of eternal joy with him. All I have to do is really want it, and he empowers me to do the rest!
In chaplain Liz’s film, we finally got down to the final T-shirt, and when that was removed, there was the raw skin of the person’s back; and on it was a real, human name- Jack, or Julie; a person’s real name. And that was the only name that actually mattered- the name of who each of us really is not what others cat-call us, but the single, totally unique integrity that is you or me.
Next time you feel down, or next time someone tries to unfairly label you, just remember who you really are the beloved of God, ready for a career in a wonderful world!
As another and, I think, far greater slogan I once saw on a convent wall said: “Be sure to smile and have a nice day- it frustrates those who have other plans for you!”
Do have a nice one today!
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