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Caring for the Soul
I remember one spiritual writer commenting that one of the greatest maladies of the present age is "loss of soul”. Of course, one of the difficulties lies in defining exactly what we mean by the word ’soul’. The Cartesian dualism of body and soul is not always a helpful distinction, and we should be cautious about attributing such a simple definition to early biblical writers. There is some evidence that when the term is used in scripture, ’soul' is often a description of the whole person. Rather than getting caught up in abstract definitions, a more intuitive description might be to suggest that soul has to do with genuineness, authenticity and depth, which is probably what we mean when we say that music has soul, or a place is soulless. Indeed, it is perhaps rather unhelpful to describe the soul in terms of an abstraction - it is more often embodied in good conversation, the kindness of friends, experiences that are memorable or that touch the heart.
The ancients knew instinctively the importance of caring for the soul. Indeed, in ‘Philosophy as a Way of Life’ Pierre Hadot argued that philosophy in the ancient world was more bound up with the cultivation and development of ’spiritual exercises’ than the kind of analytical exercise that we associate with the word today. The enterprise of philosophy was bound up with a series of reflections and practices about what it means to live well. And the ’spiritual exercises’ of the Christian tradition were, in Hadot’s view, nothing but a Christian version of a Greco-Roman tradition. The practices enjoined in this tradition included things like reading, listening, paying attention, self-discipline, and the accomplishment of particular virtues. And yet, whatever one might say of these lists of exercises (with all their similarities and differences), there is one common feature that characterises all of them - the space and time for leisure.
The space and time for leisure is and should be the right of every worker. A bank holiday weekend is a good opportunity for us to think about how we use our leisure. We are increasingly programmed in contemporary culture to keep ‘busy’. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by busyness that we do not know what to do with our leisure. We may find that one of the most significant things we can do to change our lives is to do nothing, simply to be, and to attend to the soul and to the things that make our lives worth living. One of the happy accidents of the word ‘holiday’ is that its origins lie in the notion of a ‘holy day’, and the church’s holy days were always days of rest and recreation, an opportunity to nurture and care for the soul.
The Revd Dr William Lamb Vicar |
| | The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 26th August - The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
10.30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd James Crockford
15.30 Contemplative Eucharist - Chancel
Next Week
Monday, Monicca, 387 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Tuesday Augustine of Hippo, 430 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Wednesday Beheading of John the Baptist 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Thursday John Bunyan, 1688 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Friday Aidan, 651 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Saturday Giles, c. 710
Next Sunday
Sunday 2 September - The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity 10.30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Susan Bridge
15.30 German Lutheran Service - Chancel
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| Contemplative Eucharist
This Sunday at 15.30 in the Chancel there will be a Contemplative Eucharist, with a simple and spacious liturgy emphasising stillness and reflection, with music. Please do join us. |
| | Pilgrimage & Pub
Our series of walks continues on Saturday 1 September, through the University Parks to St Nicholas’, Old Marston, followed by a stop-off at the Victoria Arms on the river. Please meet, with suitable walking footwear, sun hat and a water bottle, in the De Brome Chapel to leave at 14.00. If you would rather meet us there, please aim for 15.00.
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| | | The Bishop's East Oxford Pilgrimage Day On Tuesday 4 September, the Bishop of Oxford will be walking a pilgrimage from Cowley through the centre of Oxford, stopping at various churches along the way. He is due to arrive at St Mary’s at 13.10, for a blessing and short service of prayers. Please do join us if you can.
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| | Open Doors Weekend
On Saturday 8 September, we will be holding an exhibition (10:00 – 16:00) in the Old Library on Grace Hadow (1875-1940) whose memorial is in the nave. The exhibition forms part of Oxford Open Doors, which has a theme this year of Extraordinary People’. Grace Hadow was an alumna of Somerville College and went on to become Principal of St Anne’s College (then called the Society of Oxford Home Students) and the Vice Chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. An acclaimed public speaker, Grace Hadow was an active supporter of the campaign for women’s rights as well as other social justice issues.
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| | | Ride and Stride On 8 September, the annual Ride and Stride event takes place in aid of Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust. How many churches are you able to visit in one day either on foot or bicycle? If you would like to take part and require sponsorships and information about which churches will be open, please contact Margaret (margaret.chaundy2@btinternet.com).
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| | St Cross Patronal Festival
On Sunday 9 September, we will be holding a service of Choral Evensong at St Cross Church at 15:30. This is an annual celebration, and everyone is welcome.
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| | | St Mary's Volunteers Fair Many members of St Mary’s congregation are already involved with and support voluntary organisations– e.g. Oxford Food Bank, Gatehouse, Christian Aid, prison visiting, Home Start, Parkinson’s Association, etc. We are planning a ‘Volunteers Fair’ to showcase this work and to encourage others to get involved. There is to be a planning meeting in the Old Library at 12noon on Sunday 16 September. The Fair itself will take place after the service on Sunday, 14 October. If you would like to be involved, please contact: Margaret Lipscomb (M.Lipscomb@ntlworld.com) or Janet Greenland (janetgreenland@gmail.com).
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