How brilliantly full on it has been!
Good Morning my Friends,
I hope all is well.
Sorry, I haven’t written for a couple of weeks – it has been absolutely full on, in a great way, and I have been immersed in Joy, Fun, Excitement and laughter, and now I would like to share some of that with you.
Let me just set the scene. On June 21st Sandra and I left for Malaga, so that the following day we could walk the Caminito Del Rey. On June 26th we celebrated a special Wedding Anniversary. On June 29th was the 40th Anniversary of me being ordained Priest and we can a Celebration Eucharist at La Fustera, and I was able to announce that Bishop Robert is to make me a Canon, and on July 1st I reached the ripe old age of 65! So, you won’t be surprised that I have put on a couple of pounds, and I am exhausted but in a good way.
I shall unpack some of these today and in my next Offering, and in my Video tomorrow, but first the Caminito Del Rey.
As you may know I suffer from a very pronounced fear of heights, and although I was delighted when Sandra suggested we go there to celebrate my birthday, I was very apprehensive to say the least. The route used to be known as the most dangerous walk in the world, as it is very high, pinned on to the sides of a huge gorge in El Chorro near Ardales. It was originally built as a route for workers building the hydroelectric plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitenajo Falls.
You can see the little walkway two thirds of the way up!
As preparation for this, with help from some dear friends, I immersed myself in some high up adventures – including a couple of days climbing the Toix Ouste just outside Calpe. I had never done anything like that before, and the experience was amazing, enlightening, but more importantly it worked, and I was able to walk the route of the Camino without fear, and my head held high, and was able to absorb the absolute beauty and wonder all around me. I can honestly say that the experience, the scenery, the sheer stunning awesomeness of the surroundings made this one of the highlights of my life. I absolutely loved it.
So, what did it teach me, or what did I learn? Well the first thing was a real sense of awe at the beauty of creation. It is set in the Natural Park of the “Desfiladero de los Gaitanes” which is full of lakes, rivers, streams, forests, reservoirs, tiny villages and of course mountains, and it is absolutely stunning.
The next thing was the generosity and good will of friends who really put themselves out in order that I might enjoy an experience better even though they would not be part of it. It reminded me of a saying by Matthew Fox – ‘To delight in someone else’s joy in like being in heaven.’
But the most striking result of this whole thing was to realise that it is possible to manage fear. Not remove it, not necessarily overcome it, but manage it, and in so doing, open up more opportunities.
I am still scared of heights, and I can certainly envisage times when I shall freeze, swear, and not want to continue, but now I can bring to mind experiences that will remind me that if it is safe and secure, even though it is high, it is doable. And of course this feeling is transferable. If I can do that, I can do other things that scare me. I can find inner resources to give me an extra feeling of confidence. I can plan for other new adventures and challenges that I would have stepped back from in the past. I am prepared to give it a go.
So here is the apology. Sorry that this has been all about me – and the great time Sandra and I had, and about me learning to manage my fears. But there is a point to it that relates to us all, and our Chaplaincy here in the Costa Blanca.
We all love this place, and we love our Fellowship, our Churches, or Members, our Clergy, our Congregations and all that it means to be part of the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca. We want it to blossom and thrive and flourish and grow, and to be the centre for our own spiritual development and growth, and we long for many people to come and join us on our journey of faith. We would love our churches to be full. Full of people. Full of the Holy Spirit. Full of Love. Full of Joy, and Laughter, and Learning, and New Experiences.
We want the joy of watching other folk come to faith. We want to walk alongside those who are trying to discern what it means. We want to hold the hands of those who struggle, and be with them as they discover that God is. We want to serve, to nurture, to nourish, to befriend, to tell the stories of the great things that God has done, and still does every day in our lives. We want to continue for years and years and years and years and years.
But………that means we have to do stuff, and some of the stuff scares us, some seems beyond us, and some we just cannot do. There are obstacles in the way, and they seem insurmountable.
You see, many of us are wary of doing those things that need to happen to encourage people to ‘Come and see’. We are nervous about telling our story. We are worried that we might put off our friends if we talk about our faith. We don’t want to upset new acquaintances by ‘Going on about church’. We don’t know what to say. We are not sure what the right thing to do is. We were not called to be evangelists.
Add to that the hugely difficult obstacle of our finances. We are really struggling, and all we seem to do is constantly ask for money. And we seem to ask the same folk over and over again.
Bless you all for your generosity.
So – what have I learned. What have we learned. We can do this. We can build our church in this place and beyond. We can climb higher than we ever felt possible. We can tell our story, and we can walk alongside those who value our presence. We can delight in the joy of those on a journey of discovery.
Jesus says ‘I want my house to be full’.
We can all play our part in making this happen. We can discern what it is that God is calling us to do, be it outreach, invites, financial, or thinking outside the box.
If our church is worth being a member of, it is worth encouraging others. If we are not happy with it, tell us, and we can work together to make it wonderful.
Let’s do something beautiful for God.
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,
As ever,
Fr Marcus