St John the Baptist
24/June/2007 Filed in:
JottingsSt John the Baptist is the most monastic because the most joyful of saints, "that one-joy man" as Daniélou called him. The opening verses of a hymn written by one of the community seek to capture that joyfulness:
As John the Baptist leaped for joy
Within his mother's womb,
So Joy himself at Eastertide
Dánced from the empty tomb.
The burning and the shining lamp
Which all rejoiced to see
Was but a pointer to the Son,
Glád in his shade to be…
We had quite a big group here yesterday and were struck by the honesty and generosity with which the members seek to face up to the "messiness" of life – wounds from the past, uncertainties about the future, difficulties of so many kinds. Trust in God is the key. Perhaps that is why we felt a spirit of joy fill the house. St John the Baptist must have been praying for us.