Wednesday 9 June 2010

St Columba's Day

Today was technically a day off. I say "technically" because I was wired into House activities until 3pm! Shopping, hoovering, cooking chocolate brownies and baking bread. Then a mooch to Waterstones to purchase a new pocket diary (replacing my AWOL pocket book) which, oddly, starts on Monday. My mooch was designed to kill time until the Feast of Title Eucharist at St Columba's by the Castle, scheduled to start at 7pm. Well that's what the website and the poster on the noticeboard said. didn't start until 7.30. So I bugged off to drink mocha in the Elephant House. No, not the one at the Zoo, the one on South Bridge where JK Rowling (the only author in Scottish literary history whose sounds as if she is an illegal activity involving alcoholic tramps and a steep brae!) began to write Harry Potter. I can see why. The view of the Castle and the Old Town are a bit Hogwarts - though Fettes College is even more so! St Columba's: nice friendly people, dull building, peculiar ritual, good sermon and excellent smoked salmon bagels!

The Psalm for the day is one that set me off:

Psalm 34:1-10

I will alway give thanks unto the Lord
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord
the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O praise the Lord with me
and let us magnify his Name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me
yea, he delivered me out of all my fear.

They had an eye unto him, and were lightened
and their faces were not ashamed.
Lo, the poor crieth, and the Lord heareth him
yea, and saveth him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him
and delivereth them.

O taste, and see, how gracious the Lord is
blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye that are his saints
for they that fear him lack nothing.
The lions do lack, and suffer hunger
but they who seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good.

For me, it was the verse "O fear the Lord, ye that are his saints for they that fear him lack nothing" that made an impact. Fear I don't understand in the sense of dread but in the sense of be aware of the awe-some nature of God. Respect God, acknowledge him, seek him and good will eventually follow. Your needs will be met, but as they ought to be rather than as you necessarily want them to be.

Salve festa diem!

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