Leonard Cheshire & Sue Ryder - wedding-day prayer

    

 

Leonard Cheshire and his wife Sue Ryder at the opening of the

Raphael Hospital at Dehra Dun, India, early summer 1959.

Some  time ago I posted on Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC, OM, and his wife Sue Ryder  CMG, OBE.,  and briefly mentioned that prior to their wedding in April 1959,  they had together composed a special prayer, which for reasons of space and time, I did not publish.

I have recently received a comment from Siobhan, who has asked for details of this particular prayer,  which is reproduced below:- 

  

Thou,O My God,

Who art infinite love,

Yet who hast called us to be perfect

Even as Thou art perfect,

Who so loved the world

That Thou hast given us Thine only begotten Son,

And hast thereby given us Thine all, Thine everything.

Who emptied Thyself of Thy Glory,

And was made obedient unto death,

                         Even the death of the Cross                             

For us.

 

To Thee

We offer our all, our everything

To be consumed in the unquenchable fire of Thy love.

We desire to love Thee even as Thy own Mother loved Thee.

To be generous as Thou Thyself was generous,

To give our all to Thee even as Thou hast given Thine to us.

Thou hast called us, O Lord, and we have found Thee,

In the sick, the unwanted and the dying,

And there we will serve Thee,

Unto death.

 

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It is interesting to record that Sue Ryder subsequently wrote of her initial uncertainty about the step she was taking:-

"My work had meant my life, and nothing I felt should or could change this. How in the future could one combine both marriage and work?..... Moreover even in normal circumstances, marriage inevitably brings great responsibilities - I had always felt that it was a gamble. Furthermore, the implications are so serious that it is wiser to remain single and work than to run the risk of an unhappy marriage. Comparatively few people prepare themselves for or are equal to sharing literally everything"

Happily the marriage went ahead on 5th April 1959 in a private chapel in Bombay's Catholic Cathedral, with Cardinal Valeria Gracias officiating, and just a handful of close friends in attendance.

How successful they were in combining marriage and work, can be gauged by the worldwide expansion of their charitable work to this very day. 'To love God above all things, and thy neighbour as thyself for God's sake' was their inspiration for everything they did.

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Cheshire was no stranger to death, having faced it countless times during the war, and thereafter in his work for the homeless, sick and disabled. When asked for his views on death, he had this to say:-

             "Death is the final and crucial consummation of that lifelong process of self-determination and struggle for perfection.  It is the bringing to maturity of all that a man has made himself during his lifetime, the taking possession without possibility of self-deception or ambiguity of his own personality as it has been developed through the conduct of his life, and most particularly in the domain of his freely expressed moral acts. As such it is an act of the profoundest meaning and consequence, which gives an irrevocable direction to our life for all eternity"

*

"It's no use running the race brilliantly and then stopping one yard short. You have to cross that tape."

*

 

Leonard Cheshire, his wife Sue Ryder, and Fr Ted Burns in
Melbourne, Australia.(1989)

                  
Finally, a comment made shortly before his death on 31 July,1992:-

 

"I find that the beginning of the day as you wake up is important ..... Picture in your mind a whole world waking up to a new day. People are getting organized to go out to their work: some of them are leaders of government, others are going to sweep the streets, others ill or disabled and at home. But there in that moment you have the whole world waking up, we hope to put the day to the best advantage.

       The morning light is brushing aside the night's darkness. That also symbolizes the fact that we are all in a state of becoming and evolving, so God is at work all the time, recreating the present earth and heaven into the new heaven and the new earth. So that process is also going on: identify with it. Don't try to be clever and think it out - just have that thought in your mind. Beauty is springing out of darkness ........Somebody once said: 'the things that we see help us understand the unseen things'. I like the linking of what we do and what we see, with a prayer aimed at the spiritual counterpart:

           'The shining sun looks down on all things

              and the work of the Lord is full of His glory.'

                                                                               Ecclesiasticus, 42:16

   (Acknowledgement:-  'CHESHIRE' - The Biography of Leonard Cheshire, VC,OM' by Richard Morris. Published by Penguin Books 2001)

 

N.B. You may find this post of interest :-Leonard Cheshire and Sue Ryder - Saints of our time

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              "The maxims of the world are diametrically opposed to the maxims of Jesus Christ. What the world esteems Jesus Christ has called folly.  And what the world regards as folly Jesus Christ has strongly recommended, such as crosses, pains and contempt"

 

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for every day of the year. (28th  November)

 

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God bless our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.  

                    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us all.

'YouTube' and the 'Year of Faith' 2012 - 2013

There is a vast amount of  material on YouTube, ranging in quality and content from crass to excellent. In this post I have included six short videos which certainly have impressed me. Three of these videos run in sequence, and relate to the short but remarkable life of a young boy called Garvan Byrne.

These are not necessarily recent video recordings, and you may already have seen some of them; if this is the case then I recommend perhaps a second viewing. For these people and for those viewing for the first time, I hope that you find them as interesting and enjoyable as I do.

http://youtu.be/cZ5aYoSr3Hg     I came across this link on the 'Diocese of Lancaster' blog site, and was impressed and humbled by this simple, courageous act of  Catholic evangelism. Only God knows what graces were bestowed on those at the scene, and those subsequently watching the recorded video. After all, it is 'from such little acorns, that giant oak trees grow'.

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http://youtu.be/vRIt8i0OwRo      This link comes from the 'Orbis, Catholicus, Secundus' blog site, and is a damning indictment of the effects of 'same-sex marriage' legislation in Canada which has been on the statute book since 2005. Clearly this misguided and evil legislation has developed ever-lengthening tentacles with which it is choking and strangling our Christian heritage,  corrupting our society, and above all destroying the innocence of our children and young people.

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I can honestly say that these are some of the most moving videos that I have ever seen. The short life of Garvan Byrne who died of a rare bone-marrow disease on 16th April 1985, aged 12 years, at Brompton Childrens Hospital, is humbling and inspiring. Garvan radiates a holy simplicity and loving relationship with Jesus which is truly extraordinary - 'of such is the Kingdom of Heaven'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dHDUfl5nMg&feature=relmfu
(Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Di9FMYdN48&feature=relmfu
(Part2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd07RUzEr3s&feature=relmfu
(Part3)
                                                     (ack. PiusVision)
                                            
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http://youtu.be/bymQ0j4LcLY

Finally a rousing version of the 'Torreador Song' from Bizet's 'Carmen', sung by members of the Philadelphia Opera Company at the city's famed Reading Terminal Market in January 2011. Guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and cheer to your heart!

                               *********************

P.S. did you know that ....................

 .....just work that one out!                                                                                     (Ack.'Creative Review' blog)

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        'Year of Faith' - October 2012 to November 2013
                                                     

 Pope Benedict XVI, has declared the above 'Year of Faith' for the Roman Catholic Church worldwide:-

"The mission of the Church, like that of Christ, is essentially to speak of God, to remember his sovereignty, to remind all, especially Christians who have lost their own identity, of the right of God to what belongs to him, that is, our life.

"Precisely in order to give a fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead human beings out of the wilderness in which they often find themselves, to the place of life, friendship with Christ that gives us life in fullness, I have decided to proclaim a “Year of Faith".........It will be a moment of grace and commitment for an ever fuller conversion to God, to strengthen our faith in him and to proclaim him with joy to the people of our time.

"Dear brothers and sisters, you are among the protagonists of the New Evangelization that the Church has undertaken and carries forth, not without difficulties, but with the same enthusiasm as the first Christians.

"To conclude, I make my own the words of the Apostle Paul that we have heard: 'I give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in my prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.'

"May the Virgin Mary, who was not afraid to answer “yes” to the Word of the Lord, and, after conceiving in her womb, set out full of joy and hope, always be your model and your guide. Learn from the Mother of the Lord and our Mother to be humble and at the same time courageous, simple and prudent; meek and strong, not with the strength of the world but with the strength of the truth. Amen."

(Extracts from Pope Benedict's address in Rome on 16 October 2011 announcing plans for the 'Year of Faith' starting in October 2012.) 

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'Have you begun a good life? Thank the Lord for it; but St Bernard warns you that to him who begins, a reward is only promised, but it is given to him alone who perseveres. It is not enough to run for the prize: you must run till you win it.'

(Thoughts from St Alphonsus de Liguori)

Poems I like - I hope that you agree

            In the world the forces of good and evil are locked in mortal combat. There is no doubt that powerful and evil forces worldwide, in the service of Satan, are destroying and disfiguring so much that is good, and replacing it with so much that is evil. We know from Christ's own words, that good will ultimately prevail over evil, and that our strength, solace and hope is in knowing Him, loving Him, and serving Him in this world, so that we may be eternally happy with Him in the next. To enable us to attain this,  Christ founded His Church, appointed St Peter as its head, and  promised to be with His Church all  days even unto the end of the world.  
            Occasionally I feel the need to escape, metaphorically speaking, from  our confused, and often sad,  real world,  and I  immerse myself in a book of poetry. After an hour or so reading my favourite poems, I feel mentally and spiritually refreshed, in rather the same way that beautiful, classical music, uplifts the soul.
            I am not a fan of poetry 'per se', I think appreciation demands an empathy between the reader and the poet, based on subject matter, the 'ethos' or psychology of the poem, and the manner in which the poetry is written. Again the same principles apply to the appreciation of certain types of classical music, substituting musical form and pattern for the written word.
            I am posting a few short poems by a little known writer working in the late 1920s early 1930s, under the name of Betty L Robertson. I have endeavoured, so far unsuccessfully, to trace this lady, and if any reader can throw any light on her life, it would be much appreciated. These poems are taken from a slim paper-backed book entitled 'Poems' by Betty L Robertson, and published/printed by Whitby, Light & Lane Ltd, Bridgwater, probably in the 1930s.

A Prayer

The stars, dear Lord, are gleaming on the sea,
The moon is there, and Thou art watching me.
Yet as beneath the sky I kneel to pray,
No words will come, no prayers have I to say.

Cold is the darkness, and the night is still,
But there has come a wind across the hill
Fragrantly blowing to me, as though Thy breath
Whispered of life, dear Lord, and not of death.

Yet can I ask Thee for my happiness,
When Thou hast all this mighty world to bless?
Ah God, Thy love is great, Thy ways are just,
But I am smaller than one grain of dust,

More insignificant, yet Thou hast said
Each hair is numbered on Thy children’s head.
The stars, dear Lord, are gleaming on the sea,
The moon is there, and Thou art watching me.
                                         c.  Betty L Robertson (April 1930)


Children

What should they know of life, these little ones?
    Who weep, and then forget why they were sad,
Who crown their lives with golden dreams, ambitions,
    And never doubt that they will come to pass.
What should they know of life?  Its sordidness
    To children is a thing of nothingness.
The earth to them was made for work and play,
     With new found joys in every endless day.
What should they fear from life, these little ones?
   
What should they know of love, these little ones?
    Who worship from the depths of heart and soul
More faithfully than older ones can tell,
    A simple toy, battered or torn, or broken.
And from the angels comes the love for mother,
    Kept sacredly aloof from any other,
A love, deep rooted in the little heart,
    That nought, not even death, could wrench apart.
What should they fear from love, these little ones?
   
What should they know of death, these little ones?
    Death, fearful in its great uncertainty,
A promised peaceful sleep, yet how we tremble
    To leave this world of ours, and walk with God.
But children do not doubt, Heaven must lie
    Beyond the twinkling stars, the tranquil sky,
For mother said that dark was safe as light,
    And Jesus watches thro’ the longest night.
What should they fear from death, these little ones?
                                                       c. Betty L Robertson (1930)


The Little Things

Because I could not face the world today,
     But wept alone where there were none to see,
     The pleasant smell of new-mown clover hay,
 Caused me to pause a while, and calm to be.

Because I sobbed as tho’ my heart would break,
     And felt that only death could heal this pain,
     The stolid firmness of a stable rake
 Begged me to wait, to reason, to be sane.

Because in spite of bitter tears, and strife,
     The world goes on, and duties still are there,
     We find it is the little things of life
 Which keep us sane, in moments of despair.
                                                             c. Betty L Robertson


Ad Astra

We must not ask of life not to be sad,
     Never to know of grief, or suffer pain.
For as the sunshine followeth the rain,
     So thro’ our tears, do we learn to be glad.

We must not ask to reach ambition’s height
     Without the struggle of uncertainty,
Without the climb where would the beauty be
     Of groping thro’ the darkness, to the light?

We must not ask, when strength is at an end
     That earthly help will still be waiting there.
It is when left alone to fight despair,
    We turn to Him, Who is indeed our Friend.
                                                             c. Betty L Robertson.


 For more poems by Betty L Robinson, see:-  http://umblepie-northernterritory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/poems-by-betty-lrobertson-gentle.html  

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  " Little children are loved at once; to see them and to love them is the same thing.
For this reason the Eternal Word chose first to be seen among men as an infant, to conciliate to Himself the love of all mankind."
(Thoughts from St Alphonsus)
                                            
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        'God bless our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI'