Weekly Thoughts

L P Hartley’s well-known novel “The Go-Between” opens with the words “the past is another country; they do things differently there.” The past may be another country but it is also a safe country, nothing ever changes there. Things may not change but our view of them, our evaluation of them, can. Take slavery for instance, we may be shocked to learn that a lot of the wealth of our country, particularly things like the country houses so beloved of the National Trust, were funded through slavery. But we also need to remember that for centuries slavery was taken for granted, it was simply the way the world was and no particular obloquy should be attached to those who practiced it or profited from it, even if it outrages us.

You could say the same about the allied victory over Japan which brought WWII to an end 80 years ago today. The war ended with the Allied Forces on top but the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, continued in office, stripped of his divine status, until his death in 1989. Were the Americans right to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives? The attacks certainly brought the world war to an end more quickly than an invasion of Japan would have done and arguably might even have overall saved lives. But is that enough to justify their use? You could also argue that by demonstrating the effects of a medium sized rather crude bomb on a human city the attacks actually made the world a safer place. No one has dared to use an atomic weapon since. 

One of the central events of our faith, our Lord’s death on the Cross, raise similar issues. What was the Crucifixion all about? Was it punishment for sin, a propitiatory sacrifice or a victory over the darkness of our world over sin and over death? Was it an event which occurred once upon a time, long ago and far away, or should we see it as something which should have an effect on our lives today? 

In all three cases it may prove to be a both/and situation. All three occurred long ago and far away. But that doesn’t mean they can have no effect on our lives today. We can see that for us slavery is wrong, even if it wasn’t for our forebears. What decision would we have made about the attacks on Japanese cities, we had the weapons so why not use them in the hope it would bring a particularly nasty conflict to a close? What significance are to place on event which occurred over 2,000 years ago in a world vastly different from the one we live in? We may even say through his death on the Cross our lord brought a new power into human history, the power of self-giving love. We should live our lives as an expression of that power.

The past may be another country but it sends us messages which can have a profound effect on the way we live our lives in this present day. 

READINGS AND PRAYERS

17 AUGUST – NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – Luke 12.49-56 – a house divided – for Christian unity

18 AUGUST – Monday -Matthew 19.16-32 – what must I do to inherit eternal life? – for the guidance of the Holy Spirit

19 AUGUST – Tuesday – Judges 6.11-24 – Gideon becomes leader of the Israelites – the appointment of a new Archbishop

20 AUGUST – Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, Techer of the Faith, 1153 – Revelation 19.5-9 – praise God all you his servants – all members of the Benedictine order

21 AUGUST – Thursday - Matthew 22.1-14 – the parable of the wedding feast – that we may be ready at all times to serve our Lord

22 AUGUST – Friday – Ruth 1.1, 3-6,14-16, 22 – Ruth accompanies Naomi on her return to Bethlehem – that we may be loyal to our companions in faith

23 AUGUST – Saturday – Matthew 23.1-12 – all who exult themselves will be humbled – for the gift of humility