CFA Mass for the Dundas area.

Two houses

We gather today to express our great gratitude for your commitment as firefighters and first responders personnel in keeping us safe, protecting and saving lives and property and helping to create a community wherein we can live as a human family.  There are so many times when we can take your dedication and professionalism for granted.  On a day such as this in which we gather to give thanks to God in the Eucharist, we begin by saying thank you to yourselves.  Our words of gratitude are only equalled by our fervent prayer that you and all first responders be kept safe.

As you come from your homes to this church I invite you to reflect for a few moments on another two other houses. The first house is not built of bricks and cement, but rather it is the house of our faith. The second house is our own house.

So I begin by reflecting upon the house of faith.  In  St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, the brainy people tell us that this was his attempt at letting us know that it’s not about anything we have done to justify ourselves, but it's all about the action of God becoming human and offering himself on the cross for our salvation.  You see poor old Paul was agitated over the news that some people believed that they did not need God.  It comes down to people believing that they are the sole determinants of their fate.  And this is something that started with Adam and Eve who thought that, in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would be equal to God, and is a temptation that continues down to us as descendants of the first man and woman.

And so how do we enter this house of faith?  If you like … where is the front door? How do we get in? Answer…We simply choose to enter.  And we choose to enter by looking to God as the one who gives life and upon whom all life depends.  As first responders, you certainly give yourselves totally to doing what needs to be done in helping and saving others.  And on many, many occasions your efforts may save lives.  Our prayer for you today is that you know that you are never alone.  Our prayer for you is that you look to God for strength when you are tired.  That you look to God for courage when you are afraid.  That you look to God for direction when you are confused.  In St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (3:20), we read: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory.”  May we all  choose to enter the house of faith in the one “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”

And secondly, what about our own houses?  Since being blessed by the call to serve the people in Western Victoria I have come to realise how delightful and faithful the people of this grace-filled area are to me.  I realise that there are so many gifts and talents that people have, most of which I do not have, that are needed to build up the kingdom of God.  In a word, I have come to understand how important it is to have these people in the house of my life. It is important that you as first responders have certain people in the house of your lives

I also urge you, however, to know that the need to allow others into the house of your life does not pertain only to your professional life, but pertains to your personal life also. Your work as firefighters is very stressful.  In addition to the hours that you work, you face demanding situations that take a toll on you physically, emotionally and spiritually.  And it is for this reason, that it is so important that you know that you are not alone.  It is so important that you invite people into your life who are trained to help face the challenges of your chosen calling.  Please look after yourself, your health and well-being.  Many times the first step is knowing that we need not do things alone. And then open the door and invite someone in.  May you never hesitate to open the door of your life to people who will help you to be the person God wants you to be.

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua, the successor of Moses, tells the Israelites: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  May you, as first responders, be ever strengthened in serving the needs of others.  May you know that in serving these needs, you are following the example of Joshua and serving the LORD.  May God Bless you and watch over you this day and always.

Us versus them

Perhaps it is just my age but I am more aware of division and argy bargy these days. Of course, as far back as Cain and Abel there has always been a polite difference of opinion and that did not end at all well.

But my hope would have been that in my little lifetime, I would have seen signs of healing reconciliation. Phrases like ‘How can we make this work?’ Maybe just let the other prattle on until they have completely said everything they need to say.

I’m not asking for perfect harmony. The issue is not whether we disagree but how we disagree. How we put our point of view forward with respect and even with a smile.

Is it the way our media fuels outrage? Look out for the tagline that sends your blood pressure up. ‘Political leader X claims that’… ‘It is alleged that…’. Or the questions ‘who knew what and when and why? ‘Tell me Mrs Bloggs how you feel towards the hospital staff where your best friend died?’ I mean really … How do you think Mrs. Blogs is feeling? What a supercilious question. And is Mrs Blogg's intimate, personal sadness the sort of thing that should be splashed around for the consumption by a stranger?

What might happen in question time at our parliament if the adversaries simply ditched the divisive format,  sat in a circle, had some chocolate biscuits and a nice cup of tea and enjoyed each others company. First item on the agenda ‘How to best serve the people who elected them’. 

Or what if the debate at the pub finished when as gentlemen, they agreed to disagree and bought another round, thinking about how lucky they are to have a drinking buddy.

It doesn’t have to be me versus you, us versus them… does it?

I’m reading the memoir of a lady doctor at the moment. It’s a great read and a humbling piece of work. You would have thought that our trusty medicos have got it all together, lead a charmed life with lashings of cash, a healthy marriage and 2.5 perfect children who never say naughty words and whose noses never run.

Not so with this GP. Crushed by an abusive relationship and deeply scarred, she tries to escape to a glamorous post overseas but COVID stops her at the airport.

She then asks an agency if any jobs are going in remote Australia (they must have thought all their Christmases had come at once) and she finds herself in a lot of red dust in the Pilbara region.

There was one phrase in the middle of it all that made me stop and reread it several times over. It’s ringing in my mind and at one level I hope that it never actually stops.

It's simply three words.

Stop. Listen. Heal.

That’s it. Nothing more… nothing less. It’s great advice for any GP, any priest and for all of us. We are at our finest and most effective when we just Stop. Listen. Heal.

Think about the last and most enjoyable conversation you had and I am pretty sure that you will find that both parties simply

Stopped

Listened

And were healed.

But this medicine of stopping, listening and healing occurs both ways in the consultation. In the book the GP herself goes through her own healing. She is forced to simply stop! Just stop. She has to listen… to lots of people, often the ones she doesn’t want to and in this confronting process finds her own healing.

A three-word mantra for our frenetic world.

Stop. Listen. Heal.

Homily  What’s a confirmation?

Next Sunday Bishop Garry will be here to confirm 4 marvellous candidates and then we will retire off to the hall for a yummy ‘Bring and share’ lunch.

Confirmation is not something that happens every day, so I thought I would offer up a few reflections about the sacrament before next week.

Confirmation is one of our seven sacraments.

In no particular order, they are baptism, ordination, confirmation, marriage, eucharist, anointing for healing and reconciliation.

I want to begin in what might seem to be an unusual day and place.

Oil of Chrism

The day is Holy Monday, the Monday before Good Friday and the place is our Cathedral.  On this day at that place, the clergy of the diocese gather to renew their ordination vows and the holy oils are blessed.

There are three oils. First the oil of the infirm for those who are not feeling well; physically, emotionally psychologically or in other ways you care to mention. This healing oil covers the lot.

The oil of catechumens is for those about to be baptised.

The oil of Chrism is used at ordination and also at Confirmations and coincidentally for the anointing of Kings and Queens.

So the oil that is blessed at our cathedral on Holy Monday by the Bishop is the very same oil that will be used on our confirmation candidates next week in Hamilton.

So what’s so special about this Chrism oil? Chrism is a mixture of oil and fragrance.  The oil is a sign of anointing, joy, healing, cleansing, beauty and strength. Read your bible carefully and you’ll discover that oil gets mentioned frequently and always in a positive way.  It symbolises the anointing of the Holy Spirit and brings about this spiritual anointing.  The fragrance or perfume we add, symbolises the sweetness of Christ, which must always permeate our lives.  If you like others will come to know we are Christians simply by the fragrance of Christ’s love that flows from us as a result of Confirmation.

Laying on of Hands

There is another outward symbol or sign to watch out for next week and that is the laying on of hands by the Bishop. So the Bishop puts his hand on each candidate’s head.

This action is a sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  It’s a bestowing of this grace from person to person; from the Bishop acting in the Person of Christ to the one receiving this full outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The word ‘confirmation’ can be a little bit misleading.

Confirmation is not so much about the person confirming their choice to follow the Master, it’s about God the Holy Spirit confirming the person.  It’s much more something that God does to you and your eternal soul than something you do for God or even yourself.

And this inward “God confirming the candidate” bit is something we can’t physically see or hear. Confirmation imparts an invisible spiritual character, or seal, upon the one receiving this Sacrament.  The flash church phrase is “indelible mark.”  Though this mark or seal is not visible, it is symbolised by the anointing with the chrism upon the forehead with the sign of the Cross.  During this anointing, the bishop says, “ Name ….Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The candidates also affirm the faith of the Church in the words of the creed, they affirm their turning to Christ and the rejection of all that is evil.

Confirmation is a wondrous Gift that was promised in the Old Testament, reaffirmed by Jesus, and fulfilled after Jesus’ Resurrection.

The fact that God gave us this Sacrament is His way of demonstrating to us that He wants all of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit alive within each of us. It is God reaching out to us. We use outward physical signs to show us that something inward and magnificent is actually really happening. Walking out of the Church, the candidates are not quite the same as when they arrived, just as surely as bread and wine we receive are changed or a happy couple become husband and wife

But what about the rest of us who are not being confirmed? We also have some words to say in the order of service.
With much gusto, we join with the Bishop in praying this prayer.

Defend, O Lord, these your servants with your heavenly grace,
that they may continue yours forever,
and daily increase in your Holy Spirit more and more
until they come to your everlasting kingdom.  Amen.

Our responsibility and joyous vocation is to support, encourage, watch over and pray for our brothers and sisters in faith. Not just on the day and over luncheon with the Bishop, but every day into the future. God has called them by name and made them His own. This is a cause of whopping celebration for the whole Christian community.

A Final prayer to watch out for next week.

Almighty and everliving God,
you have given your servants
new birth by water and the Spirit,
and have forgiven them their sins.
Strengthen them, we pray, with the Holy Spirit
that they may grow in grace.
Increase in them the spirit of wisdom
and understanding,
the spirit of discernment and inner strength,
the spirit of knowledge and true godliness,
and fill them with wonder and awe at your presence,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

This word ‘Awesome’

Our language is not a static thing. In my lifetime a whole new lexicon has come hurtling into our vocabulary.

Words like email, algorithm, iPad and cybercrime are just a few examples.

Words have also been consigned to the dustbin of inappropriateness and you can probably think of a few examples.

But others have taken a more circuitous route. They were popular once, faded away and now have come back to us, full of vitality and sparkle. Leaping off people’s tongues as though this was a whole new word.

One of these reimagined words is ‘Awesome’. We think of it as fresh and 21st century. The truth is it was being sung lustily in 1885 when Carl Boberg first penned the hymn ‘How Great Thou Art.’ The word ‘Awesome’ crops up in the 2nd line

When I, in awesome wonder…

What are we to make of the regurgitation words?

First, we must never discount a word and think that it can never be used again. It might seem outmoded, out of date, out of favour, but these pesky little words can resurface again in fresh and vital ways. This is because words have different interpretations and what might be appropriate for Awesome in1885 (The sense of formidable and alarming) can be interpreted afresh in 2023. (The sense of wonderful, impressive and jaw-dropping.)

Words also resurface because we change. Our society is very fluid and we continuously strive to articulate in our clunky, befuddling English language things that we can no longer describe. So sometimes we must reach back into a dictionary of yore to find the appropriate word.

This ongoing struggle to describe, articulate, and put into words is often futile. Sometimes a physical hug, a tear, a handshake or a smooch can be better than ‘Awesome’.

Meet my friend Rembrandt

Rembrandt entered the world on 15 July 1606. He was a highly skilled painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. It is estimated that he produced a total of about three hundred paintings, three hundred etchings, and two thousand drawings. He became famous in his lifetime and he is well known 4 centuries later. He was one of the few that managed to be popular while still alive. His paintings, if they were ever to be sold, would fetch eye-watering sums of money.

And you would have thought, what a lucky ducky. What’s not to like? But his personal life was gashed deeply by tragedy. Three out of his four children died quite young and he was then swiftly widowed.

He became friendly with another woman and that was all good and dandy until the housekeeper moved in and then things became very angry, complicated and sad.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he took on a mortgage that was way too huge and outlived his surviving child Titus. Rembrandt died one short year later. A couple of things to draw out of this potted history.

First, the famous, the rich and the glamorous often have another more painful, personal side to them. It is well hidden, for very good reasons, but we must never assume from the outward glitz and gorgeousness, that all is as it appears.

Secondly, the folk who are most damaged and mushed often produce the most outstanding work. From the darkest places, they produce works of outstanding beauty and breathtaking talent. I’m not sure why or how this is so, but I have seen it frequently and rejoiced. Thank you Rembrandt for reminding me that we are all flawed and vulnerable humans. Thank you for reminding me that we are also capable of much.

The dress code for the wedding

Today’s parable falls easily into two parts. The first part goes like this.

The King has a son who is getting married and this is going to be a cause for serious celebration. Many oxen, cattle and turkeys are understandably nervous when they hear the news of the wedding. The silver is polished, the champagne is chilled, the linen napkins are artistically folded and the gilt-edged invitations are sent out in crisp beige envelopes. And yes the livestock’s fears were well-founded.

Now you would have thought that the folk would come flocking to the social event of the year, but that’s not how the parable goes.

“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.”

And it gets worse. The poor old couriers and posties whose job it is to deliver the glitzy invitations get a rough time of it.

‘The rest of the guests seized the king's servants, mistreated and killed them.’

The king is understandably grumpy and destroys the ungrateful guests and then for good measure burns down their city. Hoomph!

So at one level, the parable is a warning. Don’t ignore the invitation or you’ll miss out on the party.

Perhaps the original point was that those who were invited did intend to come, but only after first taking care of their fields and business. In this case, the parable would be addressed to those who would like to be present when the kingdom of God comes, but don’t realise that it has already begun. Is this us? Is this our party?

Now look at the second half of the story. The intended guests haven’t shown up, so the King sends his servants to gather every Tom, Mildred, and Francis they can find.

‘The bad as well as the good,’

Now we’re talking. This is an image and idea that I can easily identify with and I hope that you can too. Here we are, a motley collection having been dragged in unprepared, sometimes not quite knowing why we’re here and sometimes wishing that God had left us alone to go about our daily lives. It would have been so much simpler then wouldn’t it?

But then there is a twist in the story. You see there is this guy who has come at the last minute, and he hasn’t got the right attire on. I felt a bit sorry for him because it wasn’t his fault that he only got a last-minute invitation and didn’t have time to hire a 3 piece morning suit with a top hat and tails.

But what I think the Master was saying is that coming to the wedding party requires a new mode of existence. We are to put on the new clothes of Christianity and discipleship. And these garments are something we consciously choose to put on every day of our life and sometimes we have to choose several times a day. We are to equip ourselves for this party because it is a great party and the company. At the same time, it can be challenging, can also be exhilarating and quirky, intriguing and sustaining and utterly and thoroughly enjoyable.

The clothes are simple enough and they are uncomplicated things like saying our prayers. So how’s your prayer life, lousy? So is mine but let’s see how together we might do something about that.

And we read our bible which can be puzzling and daunting and yet inspiring and challenging. Again let's learn from each other and we will discover more and more about the one who calls and invites us.

And finally, whenever we can we gather at the table we savour the briefest foretaste of The party. We slip through that other dimension and we understand again, that the party is already in full swing.

The good news is that every aspect of our lives is part of the festivities. Think about the things you are good at and things you enjoy doing. Can you set up for Mass? greet the folk, play some music, pour a cuppa, listen attentively to someone in a compassionate way in aisle number 7 of the supermarket? These are the gifts that you bring to the party. These are the streamers and balloons of the party. These are the things that the whole worshipping community enjoys. A gathering around your table, a gathering around this table, a gathering around His table. This is where God chooses to throw His extravagant party. With simple, but mysterious food. With the good and the bad alike, with Big-ticket saints and with little saints. These are the people who sit down with us and together we should operate as a single body, a community, yes even as a Church.

But the challenge is not just to participate but to grow into your wedding suit. To learn, to wrestle, to understand afresh, to relearn, to sigh with frustration and to whoop with delight. To be transformed.  Or as Charles Wesley put it.

‘Changed from glory into glory, till heaven we see his face, till we take our throne beside Him, lost in wonder, love and praise’.

Bottles of show wine

The classic interpretation of this parable goes like this. It is the history story of our salvation in four, easy to understand, any idiot priest could get it.

First, it looks back at Creation and the choosing of the land of Israel: “There was a landowner who planted a vineyard… put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower.” From the very beginning, God began to reveal himself and his plan of salvation through his caring act of creation. The second part of the story involves the sending of numerous prophets, including Moses, Issac, and Jacob right up to John the Baptist: “When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce…” The prophets were men of God’s word, calling the people back to the Law and the covenant, but usually with little success and often to their own peril. So we get “But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.” Which is of course Jesus taking a very thinly veiled swipe at the Jewish authorities and their treatment of those who have gone before him. Not surprisingly we can almost hear the leaders blood pressure rising and their hearts beating angrily as they realise that Jesus is really talking about them.

Chapter three; God sends a final messenger: “Finally, he sent his son to them…” The Incarnation, God becoming flesh ushers in the final age, in which redemption is offered to everyone. Or as someone far more eloquent than I put it. ‘The church of God has everything to do with everybody.’ … ‘The church of God… has everything… to do with everybody.’

The  fourth and final part refers to The End and is presented as a question: “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” The religious leaders of the day condemn themselves with their own words

They said to The Master ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

And you see there is also a transference here from the religious leaders of the day to The Master himself.  The succession of the Kingdom from Israel to the Christian Church. But more than that, there is a broadening and there is a deepening. The Kingdom is broadened to encompass the entire world, and it is deepened in that belonging to it is not a matter of geography or grace. The life of the family of God is not found in human genealogies, but in the gift of Trinitarian life through the Incarnate Son of God

And that four-chapter story is right and good and proper. Usually, the preacher will go on to say that we are now the tenants and it is up to us to produce some yummy, high-quality show wine. Further, we need to be on the lookout for those who approach us and are the people sent by God to challenge us, to inspire us and maybe even to tick us off.  I am sure that God continues to send people to our vineyards who see us with fresh eyes, to offer us a different insight and perspective. And while it might make us feel a little uncomfortable, it is an opportunity for us to try again (maybe) in a different way, with different gifts.

I would add the following insights for your reflection.

We hear much about the housing shortage in the media… of landowners and tenants and we hear much about the rights of folk to housing. What if we turned the whole thing on its head and said that this was not a matter of landowners and tenants and rights but rather it was simply a matter of …responsibility? I wonder whether that would change the debate and the dialogue?

Both from a landlord's and a tenant's perspective there is a lot of trust and a lot of waiting around. God has entrusted us with a humbling amount of responsibility to produce the wine for the good of all.

And yes we watch, we wait, we pray, but everyone has a place in the vineyard, everyone has a job to do and everyone has a place at the table to enjoy the fruits of our work.

Our fruits will be ones of trust patience and prayer. Our attitude at the front gate of the vineyard is to be gregarious and welcoming. When we accomplish this, the better our wine will be and the more plentiful the harvest will be.

A story and a question to finish with.

Most of you will know that before I went to college I had the marvellous job of being a tour guide at a winery and I was astonished to learn how long it took to make a very good bottle of wine. Years and years. The vintages that I was there for, would not be enjoyed until after I had left the winery and was safely ensconced in college.

Which is a jolly nice, but not-so-subtle way of asking... In a couple of decades' time, what sort of wine will we have left for future generations?

And so we came to Adventure Bay

True story. There really is a delightful place on Bruny Island called Adventure Bay. The tourist spiel goes as follows.

‘There are many things to do in Adventure Bay Bruny Island such as water sports, fishing, bushwalking, scenic boat cruises and visiting the delicious raspberry farm. The caravan, shacks and relaxed, safe beach make it ideal for young families.

So if you are looking for theme parks or Scottish-sounding family restaurants you will be disappointed. We found ourselves at this appropriately named place around lunchtime and with our tummies nagging at us we thought that we would skip the non-existent 4-star bistro and try the local cafe. This place has had a whopping four (4) reviews posted on a well-known Trip Advisor site.

The decor was simple, humble and cheerful. The staff were hardworking with no obvious uniform but polite as all heck. We felt welcomed and cosseted.

The menu was different, there was no parma or steak sanga here, but intriguing items piqued our interest. So we ordered and we waited with a sense of adventure and anticipation. The food when it arrived was plated and served with gentle aplomb. We tucked in.

We were treated to an adventure as wave after wave of taste played across our palette. It was one of those special times when you really didn’t want it to end but quietly hoped that somehow the experience could last a very long time.

My hope for you is that you too might well have found an ‘Adventure Bay’. A place you didn’t specifically choose but nevertheless you were there and it found you. We are fed, nurtured and sustained by the most unlikely people in the most unlikely places, with the most unlikely gifts. Long may the adventures continue.

Pay attention… we are connected

It’s around this time of year that pet blessings abound and that we reflect, and give thanks for the life, work and witness of St. Francis. St. Francis is associated with pet blessings because he understood the connectivity of all nature which includes our relationship with every other human being. He understood connectivity. He knew what it was about and he practiced it. But it's an elusive thing. You can’t go to the deli section of the supermarket and ask for half a kilo of connectivity, so let me explain.

The best example I can think of to explain this connectivity business is to ask you to think of the closeness, the relationship, that you have with your pets. And if you happen to be a hard-working farmer, then the connection you have with your livestock. If your pet or livestock is hurt, then you are hurt too. In this part of western Victoria it is a very easy thing to understand and it a very delicious thing to enjoy.

St. Francis understood this vocation of connectivity very well and he lived it in his daily life. He knew how connected he was to creatures, and to nature. Thus he is famous for calling the moon his sister and the sun his brother.

But his sense of connection also extended to his fellow human beings. There is the famous story that whilst walking one day St. Francis and his companion came across a poor man along the road. Seeing the man’s misery, Francis was moved with compassion. He took off the cloak he was wearing and said to his travelling companion, “It is fitting that we should restore this cloak to this poor man, for it is his, and I accepted it only until I should find someone poorer than myself.” His companion thought this was ridiculous but Francis persisted, “I should be counted a thief by God were I to withhold that which I wear,… from him who has greater need of it than I.”

St. Francis understood that he was connected to the poor man on the side of the road and so he behaved in a certain way and did something about it.

But do you see there is something else going on here? Our connectivity calls us to respond by action and the best example I can think of today is the way we choose to behave towards our pets and animals. We choose to make sure that our pets have food and water. These simple things require action from us and require us to behave in a certain way. When our creatures are poorly, we make sure that they get the proper treatment from a vet. When they need a walk or the company of another animal or simply some one on one time, then we do something about it.

In a year where we have been clearly reminded of our interconnectedness and our responsibilities to one another, we must not forget our interconnectedness and our responsibility to creation – God's good gift to us. Our care for the Earth is expressed mostly in small things, commitments to change that may go unnoticed. Our connectivity requires us to behave in certain ways. It’s not just an academic exercise. Our responsibility for our pets, for creation and for each other must be expressed in tangible, physical, observable ways.

For a little while we are placed upon this earth and for a little while we have the opportunity to enhance and enrich not just Mother Earth, but also each other especially like St. Francis those who are less fortunate than ourselves. It’s why we choose to physically donate to Anglicare and why we choose to recycle.

For this fragile tiny blue planet in a vast universe is our mutual home and there is a nobility in the duty to care for it through our little daily actions.”

Our vocation of connectivity or interconnectedness is a wonderful vocation and a fine responsibility. When we are faithful in our vocation and bless others and creation through our actions, then we will find in turn that we too are blessed and united and enriched.

The first step is to open our eyes and pay attention.

When we pay attention, the Earth will teach us to understand harmony and balance, give and take.

When we pay attention, we will be inspired again by the audacious hope of all green things.

When we pay attention, we will understand God's steadiness, constancy in change and the mysteries of becoming.

When we pay attention, we will marvel at God's unseen order – the interconnection of all living things.

When we pay attention, we will know others to be our brothers and sisters, children of one common home.

Let us pay attention to the earth and pray.

God of all Creation, through your goodness you have given us the Earth as our home. We are grateful for all the wonders of the world which so clearly proclaim your glory. Teach us how to pay attention that we might learn from the natural world. Teach us how to care for each other as we care for creation. We ask these things through the intercession of Francis of Assisi and in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen

The Cook and the Painter.

It was one of these smulchy TV cooking shows with exotic recipes against splendid vista of an exotic country. Our master chef was chatting to a painter who did spectacular landscapes.

Towards the end, when the meal had sumptuously been prepared and probably devoured by the film crew, there was an intriguing little exchange.

The Chef said ‘I wish I was a painter like you’ and the painter replied ‘I wish I was a chef like you’. It was a tender moment to conclude the programme and touching in its own way but it did remind me of a little trap that is very easy to fall into. I know this trap well because I have often fallen into it myself and the trap is this.

That we become so bedazzled and besotted by someone else's talents that we forget and are blind to our own gifts. This happens in all sorts of ways, with all sorts of people in all walks of life. Sometimes it happens on the sporting field, sometimes in the thoughtfulness of another and sometimes in the physical attractiveness of another.

We can easily spiral so far downward that we are oblivious to everything except the fact that we don’t measure up to our own self-imposed, unreachable goals.

The trick I suspect is to admire the beauty in another and say ‘Now isn’t that wonderful’! Maybe it can inspire you, maybe it can teach you. But then we move on to celebrate our own attributes and gifts and we all have them. It matters not if you are a whizz-bang shoe polisher, a fantastic edge trimmer, or an adroit wordsmith. Every gift is infinitely precious and something to be rejoiced in. The world is chockers of amazingly gifted people and you are one of them.