蜜芽传媒

From Canon Ann Easter, Chaplain to the Queen:

It鈥檚 useful to have something to do when our feelings are bigger than words can say. I鈥檝e seen lots of the Olympic sportspeople and athletes crossing themselves and pointing to Heaven as the source of their success 鈥� not to mention the hand hearts to show love to their dear ones.

Arabella, my oldest granddaughter, started four years ago at a school which is on the same road as one of our cemeteries. Inevitably, one day, while the children were out to play, one of our famous enormous east end funerals processed solemnly by. Some of the wide-eyed four and five year olds around her squealed; 鈥楲ook! Look! There鈥檚 a dead body in there!鈥� but Arabella, for ever the leader, said 鈥業t鈥檚 all right. This is what you do鈥� and she made the sign of the cross as she has been taught, a witness of our Christian belief in the resurrection鈥� but then she got the others, some of whom would certainly not be Christians, to cross themselves too, carefully instructing them 鈥� 鈥楬ead. Heart. Shoulder to shoulder鈥�

And one of my favourite prayers asks God that what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives. Where I live in east London, it鈥檚 the norm to be visible about faith but I know that there are places where outward demonstrations are frowned upon 鈥� cue St Rose of Lima, canonized as the first saint of the Americas in 1671, whose day it is today, a good and generous woman who, among other things, is the special protector of people ridiculed for their devotion - so she鈥檚 got my back!

While it鈥檚 not always easy to demonstrate faith, sometimes a simple gesture is all that it takes; we've seen so many amazing achievements at the Olympic games this summer and we've seen some very simple loving gestures too and both can inspire us and warm our hearts.