蜜芽传媒

Good morning, on a day the superstitious are said to fear 鈥� Friday the 13th. There鈥檚 even a word for the state of anxiety this date generates 鈥� paraskevidekatriaphobia. That may be the longest word ever used on Thought for the Day! So why is Friday the 13th supposedly susceptible to misfortune? Some argue it鈥檚 the combination of Friday being the day of Christ鈥檚 crucifixion and 13 being the number of those present at the Last Supper before Judas fled the table to betray Jesus. But there seems to be an even older fear of the number 13, linked to the honour in which the number 12 was held. There are 12 months in a year, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 gods of Olympus 鈥� the list could go on. To reach 13 was to travel into unknown and risky territory. So some tall buildings have no 13th floor and some streets no house with the number 13 as if to avoid some unspecified danger. Bingo callers announce 13 as 鈥渦nlucky for some鈥�.

It all seems ridiculously irrational yet the least superstitious of us may wish someone 鈥済ood luck鈥�. I remember doing so as a young priest only to be firmly admonished that luck wasn鈥檛 a Christian concept. I was told God did not give or withhold favours indiscriminately. But, I argued, life does sometimes seem random. It still does. We may bless our good fortune that we鈥檙e not having to risk life and limb as migrants in the Mediterranean. We may feel lucky to have been born to loving parents in a secure family, having done nothing to deserve it. But I do understand why I was told off all those years ago. We shape our lives by our vision, hard work and determination. Simply waiting for a lucky break isn鈥檛 enough. We probably wouldn鈥檛 recognise the golden opportunity when it came if we sought to achieve nothing. I think this must be why when Napoleon was selecting his generals, once he was assured of their competence, he鈥檇 ask 鈥渂ut are they lucky?鈥�

Jesus never wished anyone 鈥済ood luck鈥�. Instead he was very keen on giving blessings, and they were targeted. In the Sermon on the Mount it鈥檚 the poor, the meek, the bereaved and the persecuted who are blessed. They鈥檙e the very ones most of us think are unlucky. Instead, they鈥檙e on the receiving end of divine favour. Perhaps it鈥檚 because they鈥檙e the least concerned to preserve their possessions or security and are the most open to change. On Friday the 13th it could be that it鈥檚 our understanding of what causes our deepest anxieties which needs a rethink.

First broadcast 13 May 2016

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