Featured

What you will find here

IMG_4456

Hello from Rivendell

You may know that J.R.R.Tolkien described Rivendell
as a perfect place for story-telling and thinking.
Those words have influenced
what I will try to include here.

In 2023 I hope you will find the following:

On Sundays,
a Prayer and a Reflection.

On Mondays through to Saturdays,
a Prayer Thought.

On Mondays,
something to look at in the World of Nature.

On Wednesdays,
a Quotation.

On Fridays,
something to look at in the World of Art.

And occasionally,
a little something else.

May you have a happy time reflecting.

Barry

Reflection for Sunday, September 13, 2026

Prayer and Reflection for
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, September 13, 2026.

Prayer

God of all people,
may your forgiveness of us bring us joy and hope.

May it help us to forget and forgive others
whatever they may do.

May we learn more deeply
how to accept and forgive one another,
even with our failings.

May we share friendship and peace with all those we meet.

May we help to encourage each other
and become more aware of the healing love you bring us.

Reflection

In 1975 John Denver wrote a song called “I’m Sorry”.
It includes these words:
I’m sorry for the way things are in China.
About the time he wrote this song,
Frank Topping wrote this:

In this morning hour,
the world listens to itself,
to the things that people like us
are doing to each other.

We shake our heads
and wonder what the world is coming to,
and whether it is possible to be forgiven
for what we have done to the world
and to ourselves.

Forgiveness is what we need
for the grudges we hold,
for the thoughts we think,
for the words we say,
for the things we do
that hurt and disfigure
our fellows and ourselves.
Forgiveness is what we need.

Forgiveness for man-made dust-bowls,
for earth ravaged by greed,
for the misuse of beauty,
for the desecration of what is rich and lovely
in exchange for what is cheap and tawdry,
for guns and bombs,
for the savage destruction
that man has wreaked for centuries.

Peace of mind is what we need,
the peace that is harmony with our fellows,
harmony with creation and the creator,
the peace that comes from mutual forgiveness,
peace in our homes,
peace in our hearts,
peace in our world.
Lord of life, help us.

Every day in the news,
we hear about all sorts of terrible things being done,
things that we are sorry to hear about,
and not just in China but also all over the world.
Apart from natural disasters,
they will include the violent things that people do.
Almost always, people will say or think,
how could you forgive someone who does that?

Forgiving people is one of the most difficult things to do.
It is mentioned in today’s gospel reading from Matthew,
chapter 18, verses 21 to 35.

How we respond to what we have said or done,
or what others have said or done,
can help us as we try to improve our ability to forgive.
But it is not easy to do,
so we have to take every opportunity to get better at it.

In the Russian Orthodox Calendar
there is a day called “Forgiveness Sunday”.
People look at their past mistakes,
pray for God’s forgiveness,
and consider how they can make up
for what they have done wrong.

Beatitudes for Parents (part 2 of 2) for Wednesday, September 9, 2026


Blessed is the parent
who has the gift of consistency,
for it helps a child to know what to expect.

Blessed is the parent
who accepts the difficulties of growth,
for they will help a child to mature.

Blessed is the parent
who is willing to be taught,
for knowledge brings understanding,
and understanding helps love to grow.

Blessed is the parent
who in the midst of what can be
a mundane and difficult everyday life,
and one that is sometimes filled
with impossible demands,
reacts with love,
because it is the greatest of all gifts
that they can give to each other,
to their children,
and to everyone they meet.