‘Becoming the Presence of God. Contemplative Ministry for Everybody’ by Michael Ford
(Columba Press, €14.99)
Anthony Redmond
Michael Ford is a prolific author, broadcaster and deacon. He is also President of the Henri Nouwen Society. In this thought-provoking book he reminds us that every person of faith is called in their own way not only to care for others, but to be the presence of God for them.
“The premise of the text,” he writes, “is simple but challenging to live out: we are each called, in our uniqueness, not just to represent, but to become the divine presence for others. But I believe we can only do this authentically if our hearts are rooted in the silence of interior prayer. It is a ministry for everyone, ordained and not ordained, professed or not professed, but it demands that we follow in the footsteps of the humble, self-effacing Christ rather than mount the ladder of self-serving ambition.”
It is clear that Michael Ford attaches enormous importance to prayer, contemplation and compassion. This comes across in his deep concern for people and their frailty and suffering. He also manifests a deep affection for animals and there are a number of examples of his caring for wounded birds and other animals.
Pilgrimage
He writes movingly about a pilgrimage he made to the Holy Land. He visited the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, 800 metres from the birthplace of Jesus Christ. He writes: “We were allowed to look into an intensive care unit where tiny figures were struggling to survive.
“What struck me immediately was the profound silence of the room, broken only by the sound of electronic bleeps. I looked to my right and was drawn to the sight of a Palestinian woman simply sitting and waiting beside her sick child. It was an image of selfless love and mercy.
“The presence of God to her newborn, the young woman possessed a serenity and compassion that moved me to tears. An artist could have replicated the scene as a modern pieta. I have cast my mind back to that ward many times. Peering around the door and simply moving on like a tourist would have been to miss a holy engagement. As the baby hovered between life and death, here surely for the pilgrim was an experience of the eternal now.”
The author refers to a friend, Dara, who quotes St Teresa of Avila:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on Earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on the world
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. . .
Michael Ford is an admirer of Thomas Merton. He tells us: “Thomas Merton reminds us that we do not exist for ourselves alone. Only when we are completely convinced of this can we begin to love ourselves as we should – and this naturally involves loving others too.”
What comes across very clearly in Michael Ford’s writing is his sensitivity and awareness of human weakness and our woundedness. His excellent biography of Fr Henri Nouwen was entitled Wounded Prophet.
He draws our attention to the words of the spiritual writer, Martin Israel, on death. “I know more and more that death is merely a state of transition. The physical body is discarded as an old piece of clothing or a motorcar would be when they have had their day. But the essence of me goes on from glory to glory. That which is really me responds in terms of thought, emotion and relationship to what I would call God, a word that cannot be easily defined and yet you know is closer to you than yourself.”
When he was 21 years old, Michael Ford worked with Eamonn Andrews on the set of This is Your Life. Eamonn sent a letter to him on the subject of vocation and priesthood in which he wrote: “There are many ways of serving and I feel sure you will find the best of them.”
It seems that Eamonn Andrews was quite right. Michael Ford has, indeed, found the best way of serving, as this impressive, inspirational book reveals.