Thought for the Week: Patterns of Life

Jonathan Doering reflects on what makes a good Quaker Meeting

by Jonathan Doering 31st July 2015

There is a possibly apocryphal story about a monastery where the monks honoured the sacredness of every human encounter by saying of visitors, ‘Jesus has arrived’. The monastery was a popular refuge for gentlemen of the road; one busy day, such a guest was received and a young monk called down to a harassed colleague who was desperately holding things together in the hot kitchen: ‘Brother, Jesus has arrived!’

‘Oh really, how wonderful,’ came the rejoinder. ‘Well he can just wait his turn like everyone else.’