At the beginning of the third millenium the institutions of all the churches seem to be going through a sort of death experience. This kind of death has been experienced many times before. Here in Glendalough we are constantly reminded of it as we walk through the ruins of the monasteries that once flourished in the valley. We are reminded of the great Celtic monastery that reached the height of its fame between the sixth and the twelfth centuries. The ruins of St. Saviour’s Priory recall the reform which took place in the Irish Church in the twelfth century when the local diocesan church also took root for the first time.  Those new monasteries and churches survived until the Reformation when they were suppressed and abandoned. After that Irish Catholic Christianity experienced a real death experienced only to re-emerge alive and vibrant during the 19th century after Catholic Emancipation.

The present experience of the cleansing of the old church offers real grounds for optimism and hope. We are all challenged to share in the collective experience of letting go what is dying  so that a new church can be born. All Christians, whatever their denomination, need to understand more deeply who they are as followers of Christ before receiving anew the gifts of the Spirit.

The word of God that we hear in the Sunday readings between Easter and Pentecost is our main source of instruction as we await in our time for the coming of the Spirit. As Jesus accompanied his disciples for forty days instructing and encouraging them in prepartion for Pentecost so we will accompany Him, listening anew as we prepare for the Pentecost of the new millenium.

Ultimately the journey to Pentecost, as all journeys, is a personal one. To encourage you to participate fully and out of your own experience we have taken the Sunday readings of Cycle A and allowed questions to emerge that will hopefully connect for you.

Easter Sunday

‘So get rid of all the old yeast, and make yourself into a completely new batch of bread, unleavened as you are meant to be….having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’

Would you like to make a fresh start?
Have you ever felt trapped in a kind of death? What freed you?
Remember a moment of great hope in your life. Is that hope still alive?
Acts 10:34,37-43 / 1Cor 5:6-8 / John20: 1-9

2nd Week of Easter

‘The faithful all lived together, and owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed’

What is your vision of community? What part would you play?
Does sharing according to need create equality?
How have you been ‘tested by fire’ in your life?
Do you feel free to express doubts?
Acts 2:42-47 / 1Peter 1 : 3-9 / John 20 : 19-31

3rd Week of Easter

‘And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight’

Describe your real world. What kinds of words are you using?
How do you cope with disappointment?
What freedom do you long for?
Do you think we can change our ways?
Peter 1: 17-21 / Acts 2: 14, 22-28 / Luke 24 : 13-35

4th Week of Easter

‘You had gone out like stray sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls’

Do you listen to your inner voice and allow it to shepherd you?
How do you lead yourself astray?
What door are you standing at?  Will you go through?
1Peter 2: 20-25 / Acts 2:14,36-41 / John 10: 1-10

5th Week of Easter

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me.  There are many rooms in my Father’s house’

How many rooms do you hold in your heart? Who do you let in?
What is the cornerstone of your life?
Do you feel accepted for who you are?
Does your community encourage diversity?  Do you?
John 14:1-12 / 1Peter 2: 4-9/ Acts 6: 1-7

6th Week of Easter

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever’

Do you find yourself critical of those who ‘break the rules’?
What are the contradictions in your life?
Remember a moment when you found new life quite unexpectedly. How did you react?
John 14: 15-21 / Acts 8: 5-8 : 14-17 / 1 Peter 3 : 15-18

Ascension Sunday

‘And I know that I am with you always; yes even to the end of time’

Do you find it hard to let go?
Remember someone you have loved. How do your memories help you now?
Do you believe what you live by?
What is your longing?

Acts 1: 1-11/ Ephesians 1:17-23/ Matt. 28:16-20

Pentecost Sunday

‘The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’         [Galations 5: 22-23]

What is your special gift of the Holy Spirit and how is it expressed in your life?
Think of all the diversity in your life, does it enrich or threaten you?
How do you live the Good News
1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-23 / Acts 2:1-11 John 20:19-23

‘We must be the changes we wish to see in the world’
[Mahatma Ghandi]

Programme designed by Michael Rodgers and Gill McCarthy

On Friday the drama came to an end with His death on the cross. Even then his final words were of forgiveness and concern for others.  Why did Jesus have to die?  The same question is asked about many deaths.  Christ gave his life so we might have life to the full. His resurrection opens up for us an invitation to a new way of being. How can we experience this? We are called only to respond to life and to others in a welcoming, caring and unconditional way.

The approach offered in the following lines invites us personally to enter into the unfolding experience of the week. We are all challenged to embrace every event on the way to the Cross and ask the question ‘What is my role in all that is happening here?’

Passion  [Palm] Sunday

‘Hosanna to the Son of David’
Blessings on him who comes
in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heavens!’

What hopes and dreams sustain you?
Do you seek Messiah figures in your life?
How do you react when you feel tricked?

Monday

‘The poor you will always have with you,
but you do not always have me’

Do you think some poor are more worthy that others?
Are you threatened by people who think differently to you?
Do you ever really give without counting the cost?

Tuesday

‘Truly, truly I say unto you,
one of you will betray me’

What is your experience of betrayal?
Do you feel let down in any way?
What do you resent most?

Wednesday

‘…..They paid him thirty pieces of silver.’

The symbolism of thirty pieces of silver is that
every person has their price – What is yours?
Do you have secret motives in a close relationships?
When are you most faithless?

Holy Thursday

‘Jesus knew that his hour has come to depart
out of this world to his Father… He poured water
into a basin, began to wash the disciples feet.’

Who would you allow to wash your feet?
What is your experience of self-giving?
How do others know you love them?

Good Friday

“My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, you will be done…. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

[Matt 26:42, 27:46 Passion Sunday]

Where would you be standing during the Passion?
What is your cross?
Do you ever feel abandoned?

Jesus said “It is finished” and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

Holy Saturday

A Silent Day

What do I hear in the silence?
Who or what do I mourn today?
How do I cope with loss?

Holy Saturday Vigil and Sunday

The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.  [Psalm 117 (118)]

What reurrection am I waiting for?
How would others know I am a christian?
Am I open to a new way of being?

‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you’ [John: 15:12]

Programme designed by Michael Rodgers and Gill McCarthy

Your ways, Lord, are faithfulness and love
For those who keep your covenant
(Psalm 24) 

How important it is to stay faithful to our promises
and how difficult sometimes!
As Christ faced temptations during His forty days in the desert and
remained faithful to His calling [Mark 1: 12-15], so we are
challenged this week to address the temptations that deceive us.
In a world that is crying out with suffering and exploitation it is
important that we make the link between our own behaviour
and others deprivation.

What commitments do I find hardest to keep?
What is my greatest temptation?
What tests me most, and why?

Week Two: Love as Transfiguration

There in their presence he was transfigured:
His clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than
any earthly bleach could make them [Mark 9:3-4]

We all need to see our lives in transfigured ways,
for example replacing envy with admiration, criticism
with tolerance, hardness of heart with openheartedness.
There is so much in all our lives that would benefit if only
we took the time to see things differently.

Is there someone or something in my life that I need to look
at in a new way?
In what ways am I envious?
How can I be the change I wish to see in the world?

Week Three: Love as Caring for the Common Good

The law was given through Moses...... Ex.20: 1 - 7

The Ten Commandments offers us a wonderful template for living
a fair and just life.  Christ's anger at the abuse He observed
 in the temple (John 2: 13 - 25) is a reminder that we all have
 a responsibility to become involved when aware of exploitation
 in any form.

Week Four:  Love as forgiveness and Generosity

Week Five:  Love as Sacrifice

Programme designed by Michael Rodgers and Gill McCarthy

To help entry into the spirit of this special season a meditation for spring  is offered here.

MEDITATION FOR SPRING

Sit in a comfortable position and bring your attention to how you are feeling at this moment.  Be aware of your surroundings and any distracting thoughts and moods.  Honour them, and  gently put them to one side, knowing that you can come back to them later.

Slowly bring your focus to how your body is feeling, adjusting your position to help you relax.  Become aware of your breathing, following your breath as it enters and leaves your body.  Gradually, and when you are ready move your attention from your body and the outside world and enter your imagination.

Imagine you are walking in the countryside on a lovely spring day.  Think of all the best you know of the spring – brighter and longer days, early flowers, the song of the blackbird.  There will still be a chill in the air, but a gentler, kinder type than in the winter.  Imagine the earth pulsating with all the new life that is waiting to burst forth.  What do you see, hear, smell, feel on your skin?  What does spring taste like to you?

Imagine you are walking along a path and suddenly something catches your attention.  You are not sure what it is, but you feel drawn to it. Draw closer to investigate.  It is an opening into the earth that is full of water which reflects all above it. How deep does this opening go?  Where does the water come from? Yes, you have discovered a well.

Lean over and peer down into the well.  What can you see?  Become aware of the surface water and see a reflection of yourself in it.  Imagine that you are the well, with all its depth and secret source, and the reflection you see is the self the world sees.  Imagine the self you are looking at is someone you have never met before.  What would be your impression?  Are you surprised at how you look?.Do your looks reflect how you feel inside?  Be aware of the set of your mouth, the expression of your eyes, the lines that show that you have lived.  Look at these things not with judgement, but with affection, admiration, respect and interest.  Be aware of what your appearance says about you – who you are, where you have come from, the choices you have lived with, the difficulties and disappointments you have endured, the dreams you have realized, the hopes you still hold for yourself.  See and honour all of these things, for they make you the unique person you are in God’s eyes.

Now look back into the well and imagine the depths beneath the surface reflection.  Go deeper and deeper.  Something is stirring there.  Bubbles are beginning to rise to the surface.  Imagine this is a dream or hope of something you would like for yourself this next while.  Try to articulate what that is.  Gaze on it with love and engagement.

When you are ready, and in your own time draw back from looking into the well.  Stretch up and gently turn your thoughts outwards.  Look around you and connect once again with the loveliness of the Spring day as you continue slowly on your way.

Meditation designed by Gill McCarthy

Beginning the new year in November was in tune with what was happening in the natural world. During the darkest days of the year, the seeds of new life of next year’s growth are already germinating.

The word Samhain means ‘the end of summer’ and was traditionally associated with the remembrance of ancestors. It was a threshold time, when the visible known world and the invisible unconscious world were seen as one. It was a time for telling stories and getting in touch with imaginings, dreams and longings not yet expressed.

There was a custom among people in rural Ireland which survived until recently of leaving gates and doors open to facilitate the movement of the spirits from one place to another during Halloween. At the very heart of Celtic spirituality was the importance given to hospitality and welcome. On the eve of Samhain, people went to bed early leaving the fire alight and food ready on the table to welcome the dead ancestors whom they believed would assemble in the house during the night. The Celts understood that only in a place of hospitality could the soul be encouraged to find its own natural pathway. These traditions recognized too that the beginning of Samhain was a time of transition, risk, even some danger, and that some of the spirits would be dark and frightening.

The Christian calendar continues the old beliefs by marking the beginning of winter with a remembrance of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. The spirits of all the people who have gone before us on our earthly journey are included in this remembrance.

Samhain provides an ideal opportunity to spend time in a soulful and creative way. It is a time to pause and reflect on our personal journey but also on that bigger, universal story of which we are all by nature a part. It is a time to take note of dreams and create plans for the future. Most of all, though, Samhain is a time for remembering.

We have chosen four main themes as an aid to reflection during the month of November. They are: threshold, remembrance, longing and reconciliation. These themes are explored through questions which will hopefully connect with personal experience in a very real way.

THRESHOLD

Where have you come from? Who do you say you are? What does your experience tell you?

REMEMBRANCE

Who [or what] do you find yourself remembering? Do you listen and respond to your memories? What wisdom have you inherited?

LONGING

What longings have you abandoned? Which of your dreams do you most want to come true? What would give you new life?

RECONCILIATION

What part of your shadow would you like to befriend? What is your ‘inner diamond’? What reconciliation do you seek?

Programme designed by Michael Rodgers and Gill McCarthy

What threshold do you find yourself standing on at this time?

Up to fairly recent times in rural Ireland there was a tradition of lighting fires in midsummer.  This custom still continues in parts of the country on the 23^rd. of June which is the eve of the feast day of St. John.  In the late evening, people would go up into the hills and burn the gorse that grew there.  Neighbours on adjoining hills also lit fires and when several  were alight, it created a memorable sight. Even though they had lost the connection, people were participating in an ancient pre- Christian ritual of celebrating high summer. The early Christian church adopted some of the old  customs and connected the midsummer festival of light with the birthday of St. John the Baptist who was the one who announced the coming of the light of Christ into the world.

Who are the people who lit your way in life that you would like to remember at this bright time of the year? 

Midsummer is a time for naming and celebrating the light that is in the human but also not forgetting the dark periods that  come as part of our experience.   The journey to the darkest time of the year in mid winter begins during this light filled days of summer.

It is good to mark this important time of transition in the year with a simple ritual. It could entail lighting a fire in a contained space where members of a family or a group of people from a community can assemble.  Each person can be asked to put two pieces of wood on the fire, symbolizing the gifts of light and darkness that is in them.

Fire is a powerful symbol of energy and purification.  It is now believed that when it was first discovered, people sat around the leaping flames and began to express themselves in new ways.  There the dream in people came alive and their response was the creation of language that was expressed in many forms including words, music, song and dance.

You might want to create your own midsummer ritual.   It could be as simple as taking a walk with others to some vantage point of high ground and sitting for a while in the summer sun.  Nature creates its own  beautiful pictures of light and shade at this time of the year.  This is a time to be aware ’how light and darkness test and bless each other’.  According to John O’Donohue who wrote those words, it is ‘at that primal threshold that all creativity awakens’.

During the summer months, we offer a retreat experience to people who have a wish to spend a week in Glendalough.

The retreat has seven themes, one for each day.  These are: Pilgrimage, Creation, Salvation, Solitude, Resurrection, Community and Conclusions

For those who do not have the opportunity to stay in Glendalough, we offer here a summary of the thoughts that we reflect on during the seven day retreat.

To begin, we invite people to enter the retreat in the spirit of a pilgrim.  Glendalough became an important place of pilgrimage when the Celtic monastery of St. Kevin flourished there from the 6^th to the 11^th century.  Long after the monastery closed and especially during the 17^th and 18^th centuries, pilgrimage became one of the main expressions of Irish people’s spirituality. They went to sacred places at special times seeking healing, encouragement and blessing for their lives.  Pilgrim spirituality was open and unpredictable, sometimes dangerous and always inclusive.  The experience of journeying to the sacred place was just as important as the destination itself.

The content of the retreat is determined by the landscape and shape of the valley and the story of the people who lived there, with emphasis on the Christian story beginning with St. Kevin in the 6^th century.   An opportunity is offered to explore personal life and faith journeys in a circular way, including the site of the old monastery (the place of community) and the hermitage of Kevin (the place of solitude) and the dark and bright spaces between the two.  The main movement is towards the quiet spaces deep in the valley.  Our belief is that what we notice in the outer landscape usually reflects in some way the inner landscape of the soul.

We encourage people to place their story within a bigger framework.  There is a significant shift in our time towards eco-spirituality which moves the focus away from human beings at the centre of things to creating a circle where all of life, concern for the future of the planet and universe itself as source is contained.  This is not completely new because indigenous people approached life in this way. Celtic tradition is full of prayers, invocations and rituals celebrating and honouring the wider story.  In our expanding understanding of the universe, God is being revealed to us in ever new and powerful ways.

Ideally the retreat takes place over a seven day period.  The subject is the individual person on their way to God.  Each person is endowed with many gifts which are confirmed in adult Christians as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence and Wonder and Awe in God’s presence. We focus on one of these gifts each day with the intention of owning, appreciating and sharing them.

No need to ask where other roads might have led,
Since they led elsewhere;
For nowhere but this here and now is my true destination.
The river is gentle in the soft evening
And all the steps of my life have brought me home.

[Ruth Bidgood]

DAY 1   THEME: PILGRIMAGE.  GIFT: WISDOM

Before embarking upon a new experience, it is important to be aware of transition time and space. It provides an opportunity to leave behind everyday preoccupations, to rest, relax and settle in to new surroundings.  In Irish tradition, transition times and spaces were very important.  The time between light and darkness and the changes of the seasons were all acknowledged with prayers and celebrated with rituals and festivals.  Entrances into sacred spaces were marked with passageways which allowed time to be in an in-between space.

The transition space provides an opportunity to reflect on some journey questions: How am I feeling now that I have arrived here?  Can I leave aside my usual concerns for a while?  What am I hoping to find in this new place?  How open am I to a new experience?

It is also a chance to connect with our God-given gift of wisdom.  We all hold a lot of wisdom, much of which we may not acknowledge or even recognize in ourselves.  What special wisdom are you bringing to this new experience? How might it enrich your quiet reflective times?  Will you allow the age old wisdom of a sacred place speak to you? Can your own wisdom help you respond?

Biblical journey questions:

Genesis 3:9 Where are you?  John 1:38 What are you looking for? Jeremiah 6:16 Stop, look and listen.  Psalms 121 and 131

DAY 2. THEME: CREATION.  GIFT: UNDERSTANDING.

Earth is crammed with heaven

And every common bush alive with God

But only those that see

Take off their shoes…. (Elizabeth Browning)

Glendalough is a place of natural beauty.  The valleys, lakes, trees, rocks and hills all seem to call out to be admired.  The first call is to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of the earth and seek to understand how it all fits in to the larger picture.  There are so many stories to explore: the historical perspective , the faith dimension , the earth experience, the individual story and how we are all part of an infinitely larger and even more mysterious reality – that of the universe and creation itself.

Traditionally people were more in tune with the natural world. In former times people’s lives were intrinsically bound up with the rhythms of the seasons and the cycles of life.  The prayers and rituals from those times manifested a deep appreciation of the need for connection with the natural world in order to activate the spiritual imagination and to convey a sense of the sacred.  Sadly we have largely lost this sense of relationship and have become alienated from nature and even each other in many ways.  But most of us are hungry for something.  A day spent exploring the countryside can help us re-establish connections with everything that exists.

Above all, the creation day is an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life that each one has received.  God revealed to Moses, ‘I am who I am’.  Implicit in this is God’s longing for us to fully realize and appreciate the fundamentally good and radiant person we were created to be.

Creation Questions:

How do I develop and exercise my gift of understanding?  What understanding do I need? Am I comfortable saying, ‘I am who I am’?  How can I celebrate my life as a gift to others and to the planet I live on?

Suggested Bible Reading:

Exodus 3:1-15 The burning bush.  Genesis: Chaps. 1 and 2 –  Creation stories.  Psalm 104

DAY 3.  THEME: SALVATION.  GIFT:  RIGHT JUDGEMENT

Life is a precious gift and we are designed to live it fully.  We live as part of a much larger and mysterious story which has its own blessings and sufferings, but we still have to live out our lives in a personal way, day by day.  For most of us this means experiencing at some time in our lives, hurt, sorrow, disappointment, failure, bitterness and frustration, sometimes caused by events totally outside our control.

The Celtic Cross stands at the very heart of Irish spirituality. The circle and the cross together could be taken to represent creation and salvation.  Our challenge is to embrace the cross as part of our journey to wholeness.  This is not an end in itself, but an intrinsic part of our experience.  We all carry crosses. Very often it is the decisions we make ourselves, our ‘wrong judgements’ that increase our suffering and resentment.

The cross is really a symbol of hope.  There is a custom of making a wish with joined hands around St. Kevin’s cross in Glendalough. Often in life our cross can be also our gift.  It depends on how we embrace it.

How do we come to terms with our darker feelings?  The valley of Glendalough has two sides; one exposed to light, the other mostly in shadow.  The road leading from the monastic city to the inner valley is on the dark side.  On this road there is a lake called Loch na Peist (Lake of the Worm).  This is the place where Kevin recognized his own demon.  His decision to befriend it and take it with him transformed the lake into a place of healing.  Our own healing begins when we do not allow our demons, both personal and communal to remain hidden but recognize them and in some way accept them as belonging to us.  Forgiving ourselves is an important part of this process.

The gift of right judgement calls us to accept responsibility for our choices and appreciate the wider implications of those choices; to be compassionate in our wisdom and generous in our response both to ourselves and others.  It also implies that life is full of endless possibilities and some of these are conflicting.  How do I find a balance?

‘Of all the wounds self-inflicted ones go deepest.  They are the most difficult to heal, the hardest to forgive and their scars are impossible to conceal.  [Carl Jung]

Suggested Bible Reading:

Accounts of the Passion and Death of Jesus by the Four Evangelists.  Psalm 51 – The Miserere.  Psalm 130. -  De Profundis.  Psalms 42. 142 and 107.

DAY 4.  THEME: SOLITUDE.  GIFT: COURAGE

Solitude is the ultimate experience of Glendalough.  Spending time alone is important to help us glimpse the deeper world within.  It is also necessary to recognize and face our vulnerabilities and shortcomings which inevitably surface.  Only then can we be free enough to enter into the experience fully.

Kevin, the founding saint of Glendalough, was at heart a mystic.  The place of solitude he chose was the dark side of the lake where he emptied himself, let go and let be, let pain be pain and silence be silence.  He could only have followed that call after accepting his desire for a new way of being.  In the story of St Kevin and the blackbird, the saint is contained within himself, but open to the unexpected from the outside.  In the same way, perhaps it is only when we withdraw to a quiet place that we have a chance to be open to the wider and bigger picture to which we all belong. We are all called to have a contemplative approach to life wherever we find ourselves.

In solitude we come face to face with ourselves, and this can be very disconcerting.  Most of us find it difficult to stay alone for any length of time.  We need fortitude to risk facing our fears and uncertainties and courage to claim and reveal our authentic selves.  It is an opportunity to accept how precious and unique we are in God’s eyes and get in touch with the core of who we are.

Solitude is a state of reflection, of ‘harvesting our memories’ rather than a place of isolation.  In Glendalough, this place is centred in the inner valley at St. Kevin’s Bed and Teampall na Skellig, where the human and earth stories reveal themselves dramatically and demand our attention.  St. Kevin’s Bed was originally an old Bronze Age tomb, illustrating that from the very earliest times humans had a need to express their spirituality in the mystery of life, death and the afterlife. The inner valley is where the dark and bright sides of the valley meet, and earth and sky, land and water all seem to come together.

The entire inner valley is truly a desert experience, isolated and magnificent.  It is ironic that this place of greatest connection brings up people’s greatest fears.

How do I manage when I am thrown back on my own resources?  What courage do I need in my life at this time?  How do I celebrate the unique and precious person that I am?

Suggested Bible reading:

Chaps. 5,6, and 7 of St. Matthew’s Gospel. (After His desert experience, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount)   1 Kings 19: v9 and ff.  Psalms 63 and 139

DAY 5 THEME: RESURRECTION. GIFT: KNOWLEDGE

And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

Beloved on the earth.               [Raymond Carver]

It is impossible to spend time in the inner valley of Glendalough and not feel connected to all the forms of life expressed there.  Everything seems to proclaim its story, from the towering cliffs of ancient granite and mica schist over five hundred million years old to the granite boulders scattered throughout the valley since the last ice age which ended some ten thousand years ago.  The indigenous plants and trees all express their own story of the cycle of birth, life, death and renewal.  Birds, animals, flora and fauna all have their place here.  Is this why Kevin and his followers settled in such a seemingly inhospitable place?  Was it to find their own connection within the wider interconnectedness; their own transformation in the constant regeneration and emerging transformation of everything around  them.  This is not a lonely place but one teeming with life; a magnificent expression of God’s love.

To spend time in the hermitage of St. Kevin is to become very aware of life and death, this life and the afterlife, the ancient past and how we are all part of the ongoing story.  It is a place full of memories of all that has gone before and the veil between the natural world and the supernatural seems wafer thin.  The ancient Celts had a great respect and acceptance of the essential mystery of life.  They were sensitive to the supernatural, and held a belief that the otherworld was accessible to them from this world.

Reefert Church in the hermitage of Glendalough can be known as the church of the resurrection, and is the place where St. Kevin is assumed to have been buried when he died.  Faith in the resurrection came easily to the Christian Celts.  A fuller understanding of resurrection is always a call to live life more fully and creatively in the here and now. We are only asked to respond with all our heart and soul in the knowledge that we have something to say and our hopes and dreams count.  The challenge of knowledge is to apply this understanding in an enlightened way.

How can my knowledge help me live in a more interconnected and enlightened way?  How can I live more fully and creatively?  Can I see that my resurrection is part of the wider transformative process of the universe?  How do I fit into this wider scheme of things and who is my God?  What is God asking of me?

Suggested Bible reading:

Luke 24:13- 35 The walk to Emmaus. John 20: 11-18. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. John 21: 1-19. Do you love me?  Psalm 24.

DAY 6.  THEME: COMMUNITY.  GIFT: REVERENCE (PRAYERFULNESS)

We are spiritual beings on a human journey.  From the earliest times people have expressed communally their sense of wonder, awe and reverence for life through ritual, invocations and prayer. Humans first appeared on the island of Ireland around 8000 B.C.  Within a short time cookware and basic utensils were decorated.  Jewellery and other ornaments followed.  Very soon social stratification appeared.  As humans we define ourselves largely in relation to others and need someone to teach us and someone to listen.  We are social beings at heart.

In Glendalough there are three distinct settlement areas that illustrate the communal nature of life and worship that emerged here.  The Caher, an old circular stone fort stands in open ground near the upper lake.  It is likely that it enclosed a family homestead in medieval or early Christian times. The family will always be the basic unit of society.  The circular-shaped monastic city has a lot to offer us today as a model including the spiritual and temporal needs of a living, working community.  The 12^th century St Saviour’s Church marked the desire for reform and change at that time.  Perhaps the greatest gift we humans possess is our restless need to change and reach for new knowledge, new understanding and new experience.  However, it is also our cross that has in many ways brought our planet to a point of crisis.

Times of solitude and contemplation invariably lead us to feelings of reverence and wonder.  For most of us this response takes root and finds expression in our lives amongst others.  We are unique individuals, but we test our individual authenticity in relationships, family and community.

What gifts and fruits of the Spirit am I bringing to the community I live in?  What is the special gift I have to offer?  How can my feelings of reverence and wonder be translated into my every day?  What abiding values can I bring to the future and still be open to what is completely new?

Suggested Scripture readings:

Acts 2:1-13 – Descent of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. Chaps 12, 13, and 14 – One Body of Christ. Psalm 15.

DAY 7. THEME: CONCLUSIONS.  GIFT: WONDER AND AWE IN GOD’S PRESENCE.

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive at where we started

And know the place for the first time   [T.S. Eliot]

The story of Glendalough is an epic tale.  To enter into the spirit of this place is to become part of that story.  It is almost impossible to spend time here and not stand in wonder and awe and feel God’s presence everywhere.  It calls for a response.  When we reply with fullness of heart we expand the grandeur of this planet and enrich the world we live in.

It is appropriate that these thoughts should come to a conclusion on the seventh day.  In religious tradition seven is a sacred number representing the whole experience.  Gathering together memories of seven days offers a chance to reflect once more on the seven gifts of the Spirit that are confirmed in every Christian. They are: Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Knowledge, Reverence and Wonder and Awe in God’s presence.  Will you allow these gifts to guide and inspire your ongoing journey?

As pilgrims prepare to leave a sacred place they begin to think of the road home.  New questions arise:  Has anything changed for me?  Will I be able to keep a space in my life for quiet and contemplation?  Does my way forward seem different now?  Can I remain open to the gifts of the Spirit and all the other possibilities I discovered during this time of reflection?  How can I share my insights and gifts with others?

Suggested Bible Reading: Psalm 121 – A Pilgrim Psalm

The longing that gave birth to the stars, the longing that gave birth to life; who knows what this longing can give birth to now?   (Thomas Berry)

‘For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.’ (Dag Hammarskjold)

Programme created by Michael Rodgers and Gill McCarthy.

The transition space provides an opportunity to reflect on some journey questions: How am I feeling now that I have arrived here?  Can I leave aside my usual concerns for a while?  What am I hoping to find in this new place?  How open am I to a new experience?

It is also a chance to connect with our God-given gift of wisdom.  We all hold a lot of wisdom, much of which we may not acknowledge or even recognize in ourselves.  What special wisdom are you bringing to this new experience? How might it enrich your quiet reflective times?  Will you allow the age old wisdom of a sacred place speak to you? Can your own wisdom help you respond?

Biblical journey questions:

• Genesis 3:9 – Where are you?
• John 1:38 – What are you looking for?
• Jeremiah 6:16 – Stop, look and listen.
• - Psalms 121 and 131

And every common bush alive with GodBut only those that see
Take off their shoes…. (Elizabeth Browning)
Earth is crammed with heaven

Glendalough is a place of natural beauty.  The valleys, lakes, trees, rocks and hills all seem to call out to be admired.  The first call is to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of the earth and seek to understand how it all fits in to the larger picture.  There are so many stories to explore: the historical perspective , the faith dimension , the earth experience, the individual story and how we are all part of an infinitely larger and even more mysterious reality – that of the universe and creation itself.

Traditionally people were more in tune with the natural world. In former times people’s lives were intrinsically bound up with the rhythms of the seasons and the cycles of life.  The prayers and rituals from those times manifested a deep appreciation of the need for connection with the natural world in order to activate the spiritual imagination and to convey a sense of the sacred.  Sadly we have largely lost this sense of relationship and have become alienated from nature and even each other in many ways.  But most of us are hungry for something.  A day spent exploring the countryside can help us re-establish connections with everything that exists.

Above all, the creation day is an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life that each one has received.  God revealed to Moses, ‘I am who I am’.  Implicit in this is God’s longing for us to fully realize and appreciate the fundamentally good and radiant person we were created to be.

Creation Questions:

• How do I develop and exercise my gift of understanding?
• What understanding do I need?
• Am I comfortable saying, ‘I am who I am’?
• How can I celebrate my life as a gift to others and to the planet I live on?

Suggested Bible Reading:

1. Exodus 3:1-15 The burning bush.
2. Genesis: Chaps. 1 and 2 –  Creation stories.
3. Psalm 104

The Celtic Cross stands at the very heart of Irish spirituality. The circle and the cross together could be taken to represent creation and salvation.  Our challenge is to embrace the cross as part of our journey to wholeness.  This is not an end in itself, but an intrinsic part of our experience.  We all carry crosses. Very often it is the decisions we make ourselves, our ‘wrong judgements’ that increase our suffering and resentment.

The cross is really a symbol of hope.  There is a custom of making a wish with joined hands around St. Kevin’s cross in Glendalough. Often in life our cross can be also our gift.  It depends on how we embrace it.

How do we come to terms with our darker feelings?  The valley of Glendalough has two sides; one exposed to light, the other mostly in shadow.  The road leading from the monastic city to the inner valley is on the dark side.  On this road there is a lake called Loch na Peist (Lake of the Worm).  This is the place where Kevin recognized his own demon.  His decision to befriend it and take it with him transformed the lake into a place of healing.  Our own healing begins when we do not allow our demons, both personal and communal to remain hidden but recognize them and in some way accept them as belonging to us.  Forgiving ourselves is an important part of this process.

The gift of right judgement calls us to accept responsibility for our choices and appreciate the wider implications of those choices; to be compassionate in our wisdom and generous in our response both to ourselves and others.  It also implies that life is full of endless possibilities and some of these are conflicting.  How do I find a balance?

‘Of all the wounds self-inflicted ones go deepest.  They are the most difficult to heal, the hardest to forgive and their scars are impossible to conceal.  [Carl Jung]

Suggested Bible Reading:

1. Accounts of the Passion and Death of Jesus by the Four Evangelists.
2. Psalm 51 – The Miserere.
3. Psalm 130. -  De Profundis.
4. Psalms 42. 142 and 107.