The Beatitudes at Newcastle Cathedral

While sometimes one finds inspiration and awe in the majestic.  The soaring towers. The full power of voices and instruments.  Sometimes it is the far simpler things that catch the attention and give a sense of awe.

Yesterday I gave you a brief glimpse of the Beatitude stones inserted in the terrace around the Cathedral along with the ribbon of inspirational words.  I wondered how this simple path came about and certainly wondered at the more modern day focus in what could easily be seen as a piece of history towering in the city.

What I found was a community that is searching, like many religious institutions at the moment, and struggling with how they can be more present in the city.

The ribbon rises up with the articulated values expressed by members of the community regarding their role, welcome, empowerment of people and of course worship.    Some of the words included in the ribbon are love, peace, justice, worth. Values that serve to remind all of us of the things that matter, and inspire. I am sorry that I only snapped a very small section of the ribbon but it is just enough to give you an idea and to allow your own words of inspiration to light your way.

Then the Beatitudes, 10 in total, offer a pause. "Each Beatitude takes its inspiration from what you can see at the spot, in each case you are given a brief detail to help you focus and invite you to ponder." (Source: Newcastle Cathedral Information)

So without further rambling. Here are the Beatitudes as inspired by the people of the Newcastle Cathedral Community and I hope the words, some or all of them, speak to you. They are in no particular order.

Blessed are the creative, the designer, the artists for they help us to see the world differently

Blessed are the back alleys for they remind us of those tasks and people whose value remains hidden

Blessed are the revelers, the story tellers, the riddlers for with them is the delight of creation.

Blessed is the world around, the beautiful and the plain, for through it we too are blessed

Blessed are the lights on our path, for their guidance and protection gives us courage to take one more step

Blessed are the places where we stop and rest for they restore us to ourselves

Blessed is the Amen for it marks the ending but creates fresh space for beginnings

Blessed are the bustling travellers, tourists, business folks, baristas who remind us to use our time well

Blessed are the strong and those that nestle in their shade for together they make the city a sanctuary

And I did not take a picture of the tenth as it was unable to 
be read. However I managed to get the gist of it and it was for the workers in the buildings and offices around.

Today we are on the move and heading to Coventry. On our ride to the train station the driver wondered why we would go there. Talk about a different kind of pause! Nevertheless we are off on the second leg of the journey and hope that it will be worth it!