Thought for the Week: Gill Pennington cries Beloved

‘The Beloved is beyond war, climate change, Covid.’

I have stopped watching the TV news. The devastation, the lack of humanity, the almost apocalyptic harshness of the reports from Ukraine, were affecting my mental health. I started making a list of what I would take if I had to flee: what is my most treasured possession? What survival tools would be most useful? What spiritual ‘props’ would help me?

I was full of fear because I realised that what is happening to civilians in Ukraine could happen to me if world war three breaks out. I was scared! And then I paused, breathed, came back to centre, and grounded myself. For now at least, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and no one is shooting at me. I am safe!

My fear comes from my small self – my ego – which finds tools to keep me safe. It is an important and treasured part of my being, but it is not the whole story of my humanness. My true self – my soul – reminds me of a deeper truth, the truth I have been seeking during my spiritual awakening, the truth that holds me secure in the midst of inordinate fear… and that truth is love. 

For me, love is manifest in the beingness of the Beloved – God, without gender, race, age, sexuality, colour or any other discriminatory labels I may attach to people.The Beloved is beyond war, climate change, Covid. The Beloved is beyond time, earth, humans. The Beloved is love, compassion, kindness, peace, humility, joy, patience. The Beloved enfolds me, nurtures me, encourages me.

As I come back to Beloved, sinking into the profound depth of contemplation, my fear begins to dissolve. My soul reminds me that ‘nothing can separate me from the love of God’ (Romans 8:38-39). Whatever the world looks like right now I am completely secure in Beloved’s love. I am so intimately connected to Beloved that there can never be any separation.

As I reclaim this truth for myself, I can look outward again – to let go of my focus on self and consider what I might do to ease the suffering of others. That may involve taking action in practical ways; for me it will certainly mean looking for opportunities to offer support through prayer, listening, upholding, loving all those involved in this terrible conflict… including Vladimir Putin.

As John O’Donohue says in Benedictus, ‘The spirit of a time is an incredibly subtle, yet hugely powerful force. And it is comprised of the mentality and spirit of all individuals together. Therefore, the way you look at things is not simply a private matter. Your outlook actually and concretely affects what goes on. When you give in to helplessness, you collude with despair and add to it. When you take back your power and choose to see the possibilities for healing and transformation, your creativity awakens and flows to become an active force of renewal and encouragement in the world. In this way, even in your own hidden life, you can become a powerful agent of transformation in a broken, darkened world.’

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