My first two years in seminary were given over to the study of philosophy. The teacher’s method of teaching was as dry as ditch water and the subject matter was no better. The teacher read directly from his notes and we sat and listened in aching silence. When the two – year sentence was over, we students went outside, put our books on the ground and jumped on them. Good riddance to two years of suffering.
There followed four more years of lectures to negotiate in all matters theological. Now I met, in books, with voices that inspired me. One of those voices belonged to John L McKenzie, who was a scripture scholar in America. He was a great teacher, lecturer and writer. The Old Testament was his forte, but he taught and wrote on New Testament also, and it is one of those books, which is about to land through my door on Monday. The Power and the Wisdom was published in 1965, the year I went to seminary and now I want to read it again. I want to hear that voice again and learn from it.
Today Jesus teaches us how important it is to pray continually and not to lose heart. He counsels us to be in touch with God and to live in the heart space where God can speak with us. People who live in the heart space are the most powerful and influential people on earth, and we love to meet them. To speak with such people is to be invited into a warm and welcoming room, to take your ease and to find your rest.
The world around us is a noisy place and full of functional living. But today if you will hear his voice, he will hear you. The dearest, deep down things are found in the heart space. Live then from the centre of your being, then your voice too will be a voice that others long to hear and to listen to.
Brian Fahy
12 November 2022
Erris Poetry 