Dear Friends

It was a great joy to have Children’s Church remain in our 10.30 Mass all the way through the service last Sunday. We were grateful to them for reading our first lesson and leading our intercessions, celebrating the great Feast of Pentecost. In my homily I invited the congregation to reflect on symbols associated with the day. To follow up on this I reproduce below, with his permission, a sonnet entitled ‘Our Mother-tongue is love’ by that wonderful priest and poet Malcolm Guite. It is taken from his book of poetry ‘Sounding the Seasons’ and reflects on the four themes of fire, air, water and earth. 

Today we feel the wind beneath our wings
Today  the hidden fountain flows and plays
Today the church draws breath at last and sings
As every flame becomes a Tongue of praise.
This is the feast of fire,air, and water
Poured out and breathed and kindled into earth.
The earth herself awakens to her maker
And is translated out of death to birth.
The right words come today in their right order
And every word spells freedom and release
Today the gospel crosses every border
All tongues are loosened by the Prince of Peace
Today the lost are found in His translation.
Whose mother-tongue is Love, in every nation.

With every blessing

Mother Eileen