“We think of prayer as something we do for God whereas prayer is essentially a gift. Prayer is intimacy with God and it is God who offers this intimacy. We respond. There is only one Christian prayer and that is Jesus, the New and Eternal Covenant, the union in person of God and man. All Christian prayer is essentially through him, with him and in him.” – Sr. Ruth Burrows, (2011), Love Unknown, Continuum
Religion is difficult, but Christ’s yoke is easy- the burden he places upon us light (Matt 11:30). Christianity is a challenge, but it is also a comfort. Our redemption comes as a free gift from God, but it is not unconditional. So is salvation a gift or a task? (more…)
An actor with a very silly name
From Mark Laynesmith, Anglican Chaplain:
I am a late convert to Sherlock. For those of you even less with it that I am, Sherlock is the name for the recently revitalised Sherlock Holmes BBC series.
One of the main engines of the series is the frisson of unrequited love: John Watson is struck with awe and wonder for his friend Sherlock, but Sherlock continues to process case after case, with all the emotional intelligence of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, oblivious to John’s affections or indeed the interest of Molly Hooper, a plain Jane forensic scientist.
Sherlock’s intellectual powers place him far above other mortals, but unwittingly also separate him from human company. *Spoiler alert!* (more…)
The University of Reading Chaplaincy 
Written
on May 3, 2012