A bishop once said,“Bishop is a title,but my name is John.”How easily we forget our names. We polish our titlesuntil they become mirrors,then stand before them so longwe mistake the reflection for ourselves. Status becomes an addiction,a carefully furnished prisonwhere the ego keeps watchand vulnerability is refused entry. We learn whom to greet,beside whom toContinue reading “My Name is John”
Tag Archives: faith
Strong Enough to Remain Faithful
The morning in Rubiães was cool,sixteen degrees Celsius beneath a smiling sun.We began climbing with the Glorious Mysteries,our fingers wrapped around the rosary. We prayed as the road rose steeply,reciting, sweating and breathing heavily.The glory on our lips met the strain in our bodies,and prayer became as breathless as the climb. We barely held onContinue reading “Strong Enough to Remain Faithful”
The Grace of the Pause
We left Ponte de Limaby crossing the old stone bridge.The rising sun stretched across the sky,while morning coolness settled over our bodies. Below us, the Rio Lima flowed peacefully,carrying yesterday’s weariness away.Its waters reminded me of the deeper journey:to follow the river of grace towards its Source. Some companions remained behind,their bodies asking for aContinue reading “The Grace of the Pause”
Bridge Over Aching Waters
I awoke in Barcelosto the crow of an imaginary rooster,calling me from sleepand back towards the cave of my heart. But pain had awakened before me.It waited inside my right knee,whispering that I should abandon the roadand separate myself from the group. Fear quickly became worry.Worry began drawing me towards desolation,where every difficulty appeared largerandContinue reading “Bridge Over Aching Waters”
Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”— commonly attributed to Joseph Campbell We travelled to Barcelosto begin our walk towards Santiago.After hearing the “Sound of Silence” on the banks of the Douro River,I knew the journey would ask more of me than just walking. In Porto, I had wondered whether IContinue reading “Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance”
Sailing in Reverse – Departure, Crossing, & Landing Shaped by Interior Movements
“The sea has locked them all. The sea is history.”— Derek Walcott, “The Sea Is History” The Departure The sun was rising as we left Port of Spain.On the way to the airport, I noticed its glowspreading across the morning sky,and received it as the first gift of my pilgrimage. Vincent drove us to PiarcoContinue reading “Sailing in Reverse – Departure, Crossing, & Landing Shaped by Interior Movements”
Preparing to Sail
“What is most terrifying in the experience of the deportation of Africans to the Americas * is undoubtedly the unknown, faced without preparation or challenge” (Édouard Glissant, “The Open Boat,” Poetics of Relation) I prepare to “sail” across the Atlantic,travelling in the opposite directionfrom the one forced upon my African ancestors,returning freely over waters they crossed inContinue reading “Preparing to Sail”
God Clothed Me Again
I came ashore wearing dirty clothes of exhaustion,still carrying the salt and struggle of the deep ocean.I had fallen from the high horse of ministryand no longer felt fully present to myself.The retreat grounds seemed to know my conditionpatches of brown grass, uprooted trees, fallen dry coconuts,and a dry, crooked branch lying before the altar.“CanContinue reading “God Clothed Me Again”
Part Three: The Garden Must Also Rest
A Call to Renewal As I continued praying, drawing on the experience of that morning, another grace gradually revealed itself. The garden had not only become a mirror of my soul. It had become a teacher. Throughout my prayer, I noticed the worn places, the peeling paint, the tired plants, and the patches of bareContinue reading “Part Three: The Garden Must Also Rest”
Part Two: Returning to the Garden
A Call to Mission As I reflected on the prayer that morning, I realised that the grace I received was never meant to end with me. God was not simply healing my self-perception; He was reshaping the way I would look upon every person entrusted to my care. The garden had become a school ofContinue reading “Part Two: Returning to the Garden”
