Archbishop Cushley's Festive Thought for the Day
Archbishop Leo Cushley reflects on caring for others at Christmas and how children can often lead the way in acts of charity. Broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday 21 December 2023.
Archbishop Leo Cushley reflects on caring for others at Christmas and how children can often lead the way in acts of charity. Broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday 21 December 2023.
Ahead of Palm Sunday Archbishop Leo Cushey appeared on BBC Radio Scotland this morning (Friday 31 March) to give his Thought for the Day. Listen below or on our YouTube Channel.
Good morning!
I’m sure, like me, you occasionally hear folk say, “Now that is what gets me out of bed in the morning!”
But when the clocks go back or go forward, like they did last weekend, it makes me wonder: which do you prefer, the clocks going back or going forward?
Personally, I’ve recently noticed a thing: I think I like both of them…!
After the autumn equinox, when it’s getting definitely darker, an extra hour in bed is no bad thing to have, and when it’s dark, because we’re made the way we’re made, we are naturally inclined to rest. I sometimes wonder if our ancestors used to like to hibernate a bit….
But now, as the days get longer, there’s more light – and to state the obvious, the light wakens us up.
Because we’ve been built the way we’re built over many millennia, deep down somewhere, we kinda like that. So, that means getting out of bed when it’s light is a lot easier than when it’s dark – as anyone starting a nightshift will tell you. A
nd it’s funny how, if it’s light and you have a day off, it’s a lot easier to make a move early in the morning. Now, that’s something to get you out bed in the morning.
We also use light and dark in our language and in our culture in a moral way too.
This Sunday is Palm Sunday.
Christians at this time of the year ponder the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and his death on the Cross. Light and darkness are important motifs in the way the story is told among us.
We are confident that the death of Jesus took place in the spring and around this actual time of year, but there is also a providential element that as Jesus gives us the light of life, it happens as nature wakes up, and as we find ourselves springing just a little more willingly from our slumbers.
As the daffs emerge, the trees bud, and the bunnies abound, I hope the light of life and the longer days bring a renewed spring to your step too.
Archbishop Leo Cushley explains the importance of Catholics being able to gather together to worship Jesus Christ and receive the sacraments, in this edited BBC Radio Scotland interview with presenter Martin Geissler.
Interview first broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on 26 March 2021. Full interview, also featuring Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland can be found here for a limited time.
Ths morning, Archbishop Cushley appeared on BBC Scotland to give his Thought for the Day. Full transcript below.
https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghRCdiocese/videos/666638867221561/?__xts__[0]=68.ARA8tuiheJbyYpQV-evk8Rwl1iRzkUxGZboUNDe72WVbjmAQaA2IXJ2FZNVNhhMsjDMXy9AxEoIY1RhewpnicIHsicq3xKEruHyzqqUGA94vZkspQ3whhsIgagzfGV1TKehUdiroHAlwpZjAz6wxtxCaO6C_kO3gM6Fd2HbC7ZfA6fiZfWybJZFMR0UgTtitlPboStt3HpLpZOr7XPJh9mS-04X74O1imiqJzFqxUsH2uKfiyz9iCTBSZEGQYjDbcTJUUth8RHVfvA31ZsRkSZjoHEMlPpGp1LBA4IOAVcOi_DejtAz8wo6c_8YccsgnKzRKDtP3DFhIKw_ZHYpx70fNDNwyOGQzKp4&__tn__=-R
"It’s about 20 years since the Lord of the Rings hit the movie screens. I loved both the books and the movies, great stuff. Early on in the trilogy, just as the great adventure is getting under way, the late Ian Holm, as Bilbo Baggins, says to his nephew Frodo, 'It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your front door. You never know what’s going to happen to you,' – or words to that effect.
"I was jumping on my bike the other day and I hadn’t decided yet where I was going to go: I’m not a big cyclist but during the pandemic, it’s a great way to get out the house, get some fresh air and exercise – and even do a bit of shopping, all in one go.
"I never decide, until the very last minute, which way I’m going to turn or where I’m going to go: providing I’m away for about an hour, I’m happy going in any direction. But even so, just by chance, and letting the road take me here and there in the city, I’ve had near misses and close scrapes… So, was Bilbo right? Is it a dangerous business, going out your front door?
"The events of the past three months have been strange and sobering. None of us had ever experienced anything like this, and yet now we’re getting used to it. Last year, this would have been unimaginable, but now we’re all (experts on) familiar with social distancing and R- numbers.
"We’re not quite out of the woods yet. So perhaps this is still a moment to see and feel the wisdom of Bilbo’s remark. Going out the door with a wee bit more care wouldn’t do us any harm. We’re all looking forward to the next Phase - when we can venture further afield - but meantime, we’d do well to continue to go about our business with a care for each other – and, taking Bilbo’s advice, to keep our head as we go out the door…
"Every blessing to you, and keep each other safe!"