Bishop John Arnold writes…

Isn’t it strange that the summer always looks so enticing but, all of a sudden, it has come and gone? The chances are that we got a holiday and, hopefully, got away from our usual surroundings. But I wonder just how relaxed and restored we all feel as we return to our work, schools and colleges? Speaking with friends and colleagues, I am struck by the amount of activity people seem to crowd into their holidays; exchanging the busy rush of their normal routine for a new “rush” of activity on holiday. We do seem to insist on setting ourselves high standards for the amount of things that we feel we have to do – wherever we are. When I suggested recently, in a talk, that we can seem to start each day with too much to do and spend the whole day falling further and further behind, I seemed to get a lot of nodding of heads – particularly from young parents.

For one week this summer, I had the privilege of being with a group of young adults on a journey to Taize. I have long known about, and joined in the singing of, the Taize chants and I have been aware of the ecumenical monastery and its work in Reconciliation but this was my first visit. I am sure that it would not be everyone’s choice of pilgrimage or spirituality and prayer but I think that very few people could fail to be impressed by the energy of thousands of young people from all over the world gathering for a week in prayer and discussion. And new groups come for each week of the year. During each of the summer weeks the visitors number in their thousands.

This seemed to me to be yet another example – like World Youth Day in Sydney last year – where huge numbers of young people tackle the challenges of Faith, prayer and spirituality, and the Media says nothing about it. We seem to hear only about teenage stabbings, binge-drinking and drugs.

As we come to the end of the summer and the holiday season, people will settle back to work. For so many young people it will mean new classrooms, new schools, the first experience of college and university. There will be a great deal to take in and learn. I hope that somewhere – in each of these busy lives – there will be a quiet place. It only takes a few minutes in the day to stop and ask about what we are so busy doing, why we do what we do and what is the purpose of all this busy-ness. It gives God a chance to guide us in all that we do.

Tags: Bishop John, Summer, Taize

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