Month: August 2012

Becoming Friends – One

SILENCE AND WAITING

Like many people who are attracted to Quaker worship, I was drawn to the silence.  I first attended a Quaker meeeting over thirty years ago and loved it. Thanks to my background  as a Catholic and member of a religious order, I have been familiar with silent meditation for decades.  In my early life in the convent, we used to gather together for silent prayer each morning and evening.  These were special times and I used to love being in the silent chapel feeling the stillness descend.

For years I thought Quaker worship was the same; a group of people praying in silence and occasionally speaking their thoughts.   It was only when I started using the “Becoming Friends” pack as a way of deepening my understanding of Quaker faith and life, that I learnt that the meeting for worship is much more than that.

Friends speak of a ‘gathered’ meeting, when people join together for worship and open up to the workings of the spirit in themselves and in the group.  I have realized over the past weeks that we are not silent individuals who happen to be in the same space, but a community, settling into the same silence from which words may or may not emerge.  I realise now the difference between sharing a silent space and sharing the silence.  I can’t at the moment put it inti words but I know my own attitude to being at meeting for worship is changing as I am experiencing this new insight.

SPEAKING IN MEETING FOR WORSHIP

Quakers have no rules, just advices and suggestions for living.  I did find guidelines for speaking at meeting very helpful as I had always thought that people just said what ever came to them.  It’s my understanding that there are certain indications which help us to judge when it is the time to speak or the time to stay silent.  In the “Becoming Friends”course there is a set of questions to ask oneself before speaking.  Again, these are not directions but help in clarification.  Speaking in meeting is ministry, spirit- led to help ourselves and others.  One of the great gifts of Quaker life for me is that there is no hierarchy and all are equal before God and so all are called to ministry.  I see more clearly now why ministry during meeting is so important.

“We seek a gathered stillness in our meetings for worship

so that all may feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us.”

Quaker Advices and Queries: 8

Live Adventurously, Go to Afghanistan

In the little red book, “Advices and Queries”, used by Quakers in Britain,  no. 27 urges us to “live adventurously”.  Recently, for me, this has meant the possibility of travelling to Afghanistan.

Last year my friend, Maya Evans, went to Afghanistan with Voices for Creative Nonviolence and on her return gave talks about her experiences.  I had always thought that my days of travel abroad were over, after time spent in the United States, Madagascar and Cameroon.  Indeed, I had announced to all and sundrie that I would not renew my passport and would give up air travel because of the environmental damage it does.  I should have remembered the words, “a foolish consistancy is the hobgoblin of the narrow mind”.  Maya encouraged me to think about joining her on her next visit as part of the first British Delegation of VCNV.

The main reason for my joining the delegation is that for the last eight years I have lived and worked in a House of Hospitality for asylum seekers in Oxford, St. Francis House.  The house is part of the Oxford Catholic Worker community and since I have been there we have given hospitality to six Afghan asylum seekers.  Maya said she felt my direct experience would be of value and that perhaps links could be made between our guests and the young people we will be staying with in Kabul.

Apart from the flying, my main reason for not going is that I am visually impaired and a senior citizen.  I felt I might be a liability.  Maya spoke to Kathy Kelly, who started VCNV and who knows me, and they felt it would not be an obstacle.

VCNV hsa been working for some time with a group in Kabul called Afghan Peace Volunteers.  They believe in creating nonviolent ways of resolving conflict and in reconciliation.  At the end of this article I shall put web addresses for VCNV, APV and any other groups I mention.

Our delegation has five members and we met for the first time last week end.  At this point I won’t say too much about the others as they too have online journals .  Suffice it to say that I found our first meeting invaluable and inspiring.

This journal has the headline “Reflections on a Journey in Faith” so I will confine myself to my own musings about our preparations.

We are hoping to travel to Afghanistan at the end of the year and to spend two weeks there.  Our first joint meeting was very positive and I feel a great trust in my companions.  We all feel the importance of building our community and are prepared to put energy and time into this.  After all, this is potentially a dangerous undertaking and we don’t know what may happen.  As a group we have begun to talk about this.  However, personal preparation is essential so here are some of the ways I have begun to prepare.

First, my faith in a loving God and in Jesus, whom I like to call friend and brother, is my anchor.  In my prayer I pray for courage and fidelity and, most of all, humility.  It’s possible that in the end something may prevent my going with the others but I believe that whatever happens it will be God’s will for me.  Any preparations I make will not be wasted even if I don’t make the journey.  I firmly believe that if God wants me to go to Afghanistan, I shall go.  Praying for humility is also important to me as embarking on such an adventure could be a real boost to my ego and pride; I know myself too well!

The second preparation is doing some extra reading and study on the background to Afghanistan and the present war there.  A good friend recommended “Descent into Chaos” by Ahmed Rashid and I’ve nearly finished it.  I’m also reading Norman Kember’s book, “Hostage In Iraq”.  Another member of the group has sent us links to several documentaries and other clips available on the internet.

Such reading and viewing confronts me with hash reality and sometimes heartbreaking stories.  To counteract this I am also nourishing the spirit by immersing myself in beauty through art, music and literature.  This sounds rather pompous but I’ve always been an avid reader and have also done some art history and appreciation of late.  As an act of faith that we will return safe and well,I have signed up for two course which begin next January at the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education: “Art in Focus” and “Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov”.

A healthy body will be important as life will be tougher than in England.   I’m hoping to do some exercise and eat healthily in the months before we go  to give myself a good chance of coping.

I feel privileged to have been asked to go on this journey and to share the hopes of the people we will meet.

The websites for Voices for Creative Nonviolence and the Afghan Peace Volunteers are:

http://www.vcnv.org

http://www.ourjouneytosmile.com