11/01/2024
Mountain Reflection ~ October 30, 2024
Echoes of Mercy
Vessels of Grace. . .
This week I sat in church where a gifted musician played Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and others on two ancient violins, from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. I mostly listened to the reverberations of sound in the church, marveling at the gift of music, the ways in which instruments convey feelings and emotions, including but not limited to beauty, grief, angst, joy and love. I thought about the many virtuoso musicians who have held these instruments, and imagined the quantity of music and emotion cradled within the church walls over the years.
This weekend in the life of the Christian Church our communities will observe All Saints and All Souls. All Saints is a feast day set apart for the church to remember and recall those persons who have through their words and deeds, reflected the presence of the Holy One. All Souls is a feast day that recalls all those we have loved who have died, commending them to the Holy One, and honouring their life. We remember with gratitude how theyāve shaped and loved us, and we light a candle, offer a prayer, and give thanks for their love, even in our grief.
Christian churches can be Holy places, and Christians can be holy people, but we do not hold a monopoly. Many other places and people beyond the scope of my faith reflect the mercy and grace of the Creator.
Do you have holy places where you feel connected to your authentic self? Places where you can listen for echoes of mercy and healing that may help you on your daily journey?
Do particular holy songs encapsulate all the angst, wonder, hope, pain, and love that accompanies you on your journey of life? What is your soul music? When did you last stand still, in silence, letting that music infuse you with grace, hope, and love?
Who are the Holy People in your life who have acted as beacons, displaying love and wisdom, and acting as vessels of beauty and love, like the violins?
Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life, we are helped on our journeys by the foundational anchors of holy places, holy songs, and holy people. Two of my own anchors are the island of Iona and the legend of the Iona Boat Song. Iona, an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, is a holy place, where for generations Scottish Royalty were buried. A Holy Irishman, Columba, settled the island in the sixth century. He gathered Holy men and women, encouraging them to be attuned to creation and the Creator. The Iona Boat Song was sung as the dead were rowed from the mainland to their final resting pace on Iona. Kings Duncan, MacBeth, Donald, and some fifty more were interred there.
Have a listen to the Iona Boat Song one of my holy songs from one of my holy places. In this time of light and darkness, joy and grief, find places to hold on to the holy. Sing your holy song, sit in your holy place, and be with your holy people.
Blessings
David
The Revād David Burrows is the Incumbent Priest of the Anglican Parish of Kokanee, encompassing Nelson, Kaslo, and the North Shore. āThis writing is a part of his weekly āMountain Reflections'.
