....to a meeting of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Chichester.
A kind friend gave me a lift. Sussex was enchanting as we drove down from London...cricket on village greens, pubs, the wonderful satisfyingly unchanging Downs. The spire of Chichester Cathedral soars up. Childhood memories of families holidays stir.
The Bishop's Place at Chichester lives up to its name: it's very grand. It was a great priviledge to address the ESBVM in the ancient chapel, and I was conscious of the centuries of history, and all the different voices that have echoed in those walls.. Topic was Marian theology and insights fromSt John Paul . It's all hugely relevant as there is much to explore ...the whole mystery of God's plan from "the beginning" (Gen 1) with the "Woman" who will crush the serpent's head...and all of this is bound up with the spousal imagery that runs through the whole of the Old Testament and the New...God and Israel, Christ and Church, Bridegroom and Bride...
Before the lecture, I made a statement about Bishop George Bell, a great and good man whose work I have long admired. Incidentally there is more about him here...
On the way back we stopped to visit the grave of Cardinal Manning's wife...I always mention her in my History Walks around London (also:did you know that an office block near Westminster Cathedral carries a plaque noting that Cardinal Manning lived there?)...and then there was supper in a country pub...
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