Part 2: What is it like to come close to the presence of God?
Renowned preacher and poet, Father Paul Murray belongs to the Irish Province of the
Order of Preachers. In the course of his life he’s addressed many an audience but
in November his words reached an unusual group of listeners, the members of the
House of Lords. To them he spoke not of politics but of contemplation as an essential
ingredient in Christian tradition.
The event organized by the Royal Fine
Art Commission Trust, in conjunction with Sky Television that filmed it, marked
an historic moment: never before had a Dominican friar delivered a talk in the House
of Lords.
We bring you the second in our three part radio adaptation
of this talk. One which begins with these words : “What is it like, in practice,
to come close to the presence of God ?
While last week the presence of God
in prayer - the wonder of divine love - was described by Father Paul as burning fire
and living water , this week the journey to God is described in terms of a humble
descent, a way not so much of rising but of falling, a "downward path".
Listen
to this programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick :