Especean

Faith, Justice and Formation

Reflection for Ash Wednesday

If asked to name my favourite poet of the late sixteenth century, I am sure the boys I teach would assume that my answer would be Shakespeare. But, in fact, as far as sonnets go, I am much more attracted to the work of the metaphysical poet John Donne (1572-1631). Donne was born to a Catholic family at a time when the Catholic faith was illegal in England, and he later became an Anglican clergyman and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

During Lent I often return to his Holy Sonnet 7: 

At the round earth’s imagined corners

At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow

Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise

From death, you numberless infinities

Of souls, and to your scatter'd bodies go;

All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow,

All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,

Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes

Shall behold God and never taste death's woe.

But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space,

For if above all these my sins abound,

'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace

When we are there; here on this lowly ground

Teach me how to repent; for that's as good

As if thou'hadst seal'd my pardon with thy blood.

 

   John Donne (1572 – 1631)

The sonnet begins with the poet imagining the day of judgement: “blow/Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise/From death, you numberless infinities/Of souls.” The persona is pondering the power and might of God on the day when every person of faith who has gone before us, and all those who will come after us, will rise again and be called to account. The infinite power and love of God can overcome any and all causes of death: “flood…fire….war, dearth, age, tyrannies, despair, law, chance”. The persona is calling upon God to bring this about so that he may see the glory of God in his time.

 

But the final sextet of the sonnet, establishes an entirely different mood as he realises that he is not yet ready to look upon the face of God. The mighty awakening of the end of days is replaced with silent reflection: “But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space.” The persona realises that God is timeless but that he must make time to repair his relationship with God. He recognises his own sin and weakness: “For if above all these my sins abound/Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace/when we are there”. In other words, we should not wish to meet our Lord unless we are prepared. It is too late to ask for forgiveness when the Lord returns in glory.

 

This is what Lent is all about. During Lent we need to restore our relationship with God through prayer, fasting and charity. We need time to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. The sonnet then finishes with a disarmingly simple prayer: “here on this lowly ground / teach me how to repent.”

 

A lot of this poem may sound quite dark and foreboding, but the speaker finds comfort in the thought that God will help him repent, and that God has “sealed my pardon with thy blood”. This allusion to the crucifixion reminds us that Christ has already sealed everyone’s pardon by dying for all of our sins. All we are asked to do is to “mourn a space” while we return to God with an open and honest heart, being reminded that God is ready to offer deep love and forgiveness to even the worst of sinners.

Lenten Appeal 2023

This year’s Lenten Appeal will be officially launched by some of our student leaders at our College Assembly on Friday 24 February. Our primary charity partner in 2023 is The Edmund Rice Foundation who support several projects in Africa. To raise awareness of this work we will be focusing on learning about The Ruben Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. More information about the wonderful work being undertaken there can be seen by viewing their website: Ruben Centre.

 

This year we would like to encourage some healthy competition between houses and year groups to see who can raise the most for our charity partners. In line with the College theme of being “united in the same mind and the same purpose,” we aim to bring everyone together in support of this very important work. Every homeroom and junior school class are asked to organise one fundraising activity over the course of lent as part of our commitment to almsgiving.

 

Our three obligations during lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This is why we focus our charity giving through the Lenten Appeal. On Fridays during Lent the canteen will not serve meat and all are reminded that for those aged over 14, Fridays in Lent, as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, are days of penance. We should be working at restoring our relationship with God through prayer. One way to do this would be by making a special effort to attend Mass on Friday morning.

Days of Penance 

  1. Abstinence from meat and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. All who have completed their eighteenth year and have not yet begun their sixtieth year are bound to fast. ALL who have completed their fourteenth year are bound to abstain.
     
  2. On all other Fridays of the year including the Fridays of Lent, the Law of the common practice of penance is fulfilled by performing any one of the following:

    • prayer – for example, Mass attendance; family prayer; a visit to a church or chapel; reading the Bible; making the Stations of the Cross; praying the rosary.
       
    • self-denial – for example, not eating meat; not eating sweets or dessert; giving up entertainment to spend time with the family; limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor of one’s own country.
       
    • helping others – for example, special attention to someone who is poor, sick, elderly, lonely or overburdened.

Adam Leslie

Acting Director of Identity

Invitation

Welcome back to a new year. Please watch this space as our SOL Parents Group invite you to join in on a few events that can help the marginalised people in our communities. Remember with the season of Lent upon us, what better time is there to reach out and help if you can. 

 

Claudia Elias

Parent SOL Group