I am a British Christian. My family were Christians when Ireland was still in pagan darkness. I belong to the ancient church of this land. I didn’t like the thought of this Irish missionary upstart. I thought he was a puppet of the English king, whom I hate.
When I saw him coming down the lane I would have passed by in silence. But something about him, something in the way he looked at me, made me stop. ‘Are you a Christian?’ he asked, gently.
‘Of course.’ I said, huffily.
‘That is good to hear,’ he said. ‘Now will you try to be a better one?’
I don’t know why I didn’t explode with anger, but I didn’t. Suddenly I actually wanted to be a better Christian. And suddenly I wanted to know Aidan better and hear what he had to say.
I found this story in yesterdays devotion from Celtic Daily Prayer. It is the prayer book of the Northumbria Community.
It had been much to long since I have held the fixed hour prayers, but that is changing. What an appropriate devotion to start of the day with a penetrating question. “Will you try to be a better one?” That we would all ask ourselves this daily.
-jps