Thought for the Week: Thin places
Sue Proudlove reflects on 'thin places'
In April, on a day of low mist and gentle seas, I made an all-too-brief visit to the island of Iona. On an information board near the Abbey, I read that George MacLeod, founder of the Iona Community, had considered the island to be a ‘thin place’ where the veil between earth and heaven is almost nonexistent, hence its apparent spiritual ‘pull’ for many visitors over the centuries since the arrival of saint Columba. I wonder whether the concept of a ‘thin place’ in Celtic Christianity is linked to the idea of pilgrimage, which seems to be going through an upsurge in popularity. A pilgrim seeks not just to complete an arduous journey to prove their faithfulness; they also seek to reach a place where they can connect with a spiritual dimension, following in the footsteps of others who have sought that connection before them.
