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Brexit and Deep Peace in Turbulent Times

By Anita Mathias

BN-MR809_BREXIT_12S_20160219172453So I supported the Remain campaign. I love Europe, and I truly believe that our world needs a United States of Europe to provide a counterbalance to the emerging ruthless power of China, as well as the power of the United States. I love borderless travel in Europe, and as a British citizen, I appreciated the fact that UK’s membership of the EU contributed to this little island’s becoming the second largest economy in the EU (and, well, contributed trickle-down prosperity to its residents).

I went to sleep certain that good sense would prevail and slept in. On waking, I reached, groggily for my phone, and read The Guardian headlines in shock. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said this was “a sad day for Europe.” What? The Prime Minister David Cameron had resigned. Brexit, incredibly, had won 52 to 48.

Stocks plunged. Brexit wiped 2 trillion dollars off the global stock market. The pound plummeted against the dollar to a 31 year low, losing almost 10% of its value. Britain is on the verge of a recession.

More disturbing was J. K. Rowling’s statement that “racists and bigots are flocking to the ‘Leave’ cause, and, in some instances, directing it.” She goes on to say that it would be dishonourable and shameful to assume that everyone who voted to leave was a bigot and racist, and, for my own peace, equanimity and happiness, I am not going to assume that.

When Irene walked into my room saying “This is so sad; have you seen it Mum?” I was embarrassed about the tears streaming down my face. I was numb with a leaden sadness. I have always felt a great affection for England, to which my father had immigrated for eight colourful, exciting years, stories of which I had grown up on. England was the background of the books I read as a child; the novels and poetry I read as a teenager; the literature I studied deeply as an undergraduate as Oxford. If this was a racist vote, then I guess I felt the pangs of unrequited love!!

* * *

One of my guiding principles, or defining decisions, however, is “I will choose to be happy.” I will not be unhappy in this beautiful world, whose skies are a ever-changing panoply of dramatic colour, whose trees showily change each season, whose beauty is never spent, and which has a dearest freshness deep down things, for God puts it there.

I have no reason to be unhappy, when I walk hand in hand with my Father on one side, and my friend Jesus on the other. When at any time, on request, the Spirit can pour, pour, pour his wine, his champagne into me.

I have no reason to be unhappy when this is my Father’s world, and he can turn anything to good.

I will have peace, because I am rather good friends with the God of the deep peace of the running wave, the still waters, and the everlasting hills, the peace he pours into my heart.

I will praise God even for this, for God can turn everything to good.

I believe that nothing in this world is so dark that God cannot vein it with silver and gold. Precious stones, after all, are made from compressed mud and muck and the bones of dead creatures.

* * *

So what are the silver linings, in this doom and gloom? I asked my husband. He laughed. He had been looking at our accounts. After twenty years in academia, we decided to become entrepreneurs, and have owned a small company for the last nine years, exporting our products, mainly to the United States and Europe. As he quickly wired over money, we realised that, just like that, the weak pound meant that our monthly income had increased by 10%. There are many entrepreneurs and exporters in the UK.

 House prices have begun to fall, which is, oddly, good news, for we are hoping to move from our beloved ancient house in the country, with a beautiful 1.5 acre garden, ponds, a detached writing cottage, a large sunny conservatory, an orchard, a vegetable garden, and old stone walls with roses tumbling over them to more expensive North Oxford, closer to our church, friends, the university, art galleries, museums, the theatre, yoga classes and the historic walks and college gardens. Lower house prices are always a boon to half the population, the half that buys houses!

And though, no doubt, my retirement portfolio, like everyone else’s, is down by thousands and thousands, you know what? I am not going to look. I don’t plan to retire in this decade, or in the next, and the one sure thing I know about money is that it comes, and it goes. Stocks rise and stocks fall and they rise again. Riches can take wing and fly away like an eagle if the Lord chooses, and when the Lord wills it, they can fly to you in exactly the same way!!

I thought of that beautiful poem of Teresa of Avila’s that I found when I was 18, and often say to myself,

Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee
All things are passing;
God never changeth;

And I thought too of the words of Jesus which, again, I often say to myself, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.”

 So, so, so, perhaps an unscrupulous, opportunistic politician who stabbed his friends in the back, and engineered this horror with wilful lies to gain fame and power will get to be Prime Minister (may it never be so, Lord!!). Perhaps there will be economic loss, recession, and varied horribleness—yet will I trust in the Lord. I remembered again that our family business really took off in 2008 and 2009 during the Great Recession when, having lower overheads, we could price our products competitively. God’s twisty-bendy goodness will never fail to astonish!!

* * *

Though I am sad about Brexit, perhaps it is not an unmitigated disaster. The Hobbits of this Shire have their distinctive culture; their national character is different from the Elves, Men, and Dwarves, the Eagles, Wizards, Bears, Goblins, and Wild Wolves of the Continent. I realise this afresh each time I fly from England to Europe. Perhaps it was just a matter of time before Brexit happened. And perhaps Brexit might even have some benefits. Racially homogenous societies are more peaceful and orderly, I see when I travelled in Scandinavia, or Switzerland or the Greek islands—(though they lack the creativity in the arts, sciences, scholarship and cookery that characterises wonderful melting pot cultures).

Nothing is all dark; pretty much everything has a silver lining. Everything can be shaped for good in this world that God made, and God loves, and in which God’s busy hands work, moulding, shaping things for good, though we muck them up, muck them up, muck them. This world always sprawls before us like a field of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new,

Because the Holy Spirit over this bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

 

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Filed Under: Current Affairs, Politics, Politics Tagged With: Boris Johnson, Brexit, David Cameron, deep peace, EU, Happiness, Hobbits and the continent, house prices, J. K. Rowling, North Oxford, silver linings, Teresa of Avila

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Anita Mathias: About Me

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My Books

Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India

Wandering Between Two Worlds - Amazon.com
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Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

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Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

Francesco, Artist of Florence - Amazom.com
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The Story of Dirk Willems

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

Recent Posts

  • Change your Life by Changing your Thinking
  • Do Not Be Afraid–But Be as Wise as a Serpent
  • Our Failures are the Cracks through which God’s Light Enters
  • The Whole Earth is Full of God’s Glory
  • Mindfulness is Remembering the Presence of Christ with Us
  • “Rosaries at the Grotto” A Chapter from my newly-published memoir, “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India.”
  • An Infallible Secret of Joy
  • Thoughts on Writing my Just-published Memoir, & the Prologue to “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets”
  • Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India. My new memoir
  •  On Not Wasting a Desert Experience

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Country Girl
Edna O'Brien

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C S Lewis

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anita.mathias

From my meditation on being as wise as a serpent h From my meditation on being as wise as a serpent https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/13/do-not-be-afraid-but-be-wise-as-a-serpent/
What is the wisdom Jesus recommends?
We go out as sheep among wolves,Christ says.
And, he adds, dangerously some wolves are dressed like sheep. 
They seem respectable-busy charity volunteers, Church people.
Oh, the noblest sentiments in the noblest words,
But they drain you of money, energy, time, your lifeblood. 
How then could a sheep, the most defenceless creature on earth,
Possibly be safe, among wolves,
Particularly wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing?
A sheep among wolves can be safe 
If it keeps its eyes on its Shepherd, and listens to him.
Check in with your instincts, and pay attention to them, 
for they can be God’s Spirit within you, warning you. 
Then Jesus warns his disciples, those sheep among wolves.
Be as wise, as phronimos as a serpent. 
The koine Greek word phronimos
means shrewd, sensible, cautious, prudent.
These traits don’t come naturally to me.
But if Christ commands that we be as wise as a serpent,
His Spirit will empower us to be so.
A serpent is a carnivorous reptile, 
But animals, birds and frogs are not easily caught.
So, the snake wastes no energy in bluster or self-promotion.
It does not boast of its plans; it does not show-off.
It is a creature of singular purpose, deliberate, slow-moving
For much of its life, it rests, camouflaged,
soaking in the sun, waiting and planning.
It’s patient, almost invisible, until the time is right
And then, it acts swiftly and decisively.
The wisdom of the snake then is in waiting
For the right time. It conserves energy,
Is warmed by the sun, watches, assesses, 
and when the time is right, it moves swiftly
And very effectively. 
However, as always, Jesus balances his advice:
Be as wise as a serpent, yes, but also as blameless 
akeraios  as a dove. As pure, as guileless, as good. 
Be wise, but not only to provide for yourself and family
But, also, to fulfil your calling in the world,
The one task God has given you, and no one else
Which you alone, and no one else, can do, 
And which God will increasingly reveal to you,
as you wait and ask.
Hi Friends, Here's a meditation is on the differen Hi Friends, Here's a meditation is on the difference between fear and prudence. It looks at Jesus's advice to be as wise as a serpent, but as blameless as dove. Wise as a serpent... because we go out as sheep among wolves... and among wolves disguised in sheep's clothing.
A meditation on what the wisdom of the snake is... wisdom I wish I had learned earlier, though it's never too late.
Subscribe on Apple podcasts, or on my blog, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's widely available. Thanks
https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/13/do-not-be-afraid-but-be-wise-as-a-serpent/
Once she was a baby girl. And now, she has, today, Once she was a baby girl. And now, she has, today, been offered her first job as a junior doctor. Delighted that our daughter, Irene, will be working in Oxford for the next two Foundation years. Oxford University Hospitals include the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the Churchill Hospital, both excellent.
But first she’s leaving to work at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for two months for her elective. 
Congratulations, Irene! And God bless you!
https:/ Images from a winter in Oxford—my belove https:/ Images from a winter in Oxford—my beloved book group, walks near Christ Church, and Iffley, and a favourite tree, down the country lane, about two minutes from my house. I love photographing it in all weathers. 
And I've written a new meditation--ah, and a deeply personal one. This one is a meditation on how our failures provide a landing spot for God's power and love to find us. They are the cracks through which the light gets in. Without our failures, we wouldn't know we needed God--and so would miss out on something much greater than success!!
It's just 6 minutes, if you'd like to listen...and as always, there's a full transcript if you'd like to read it. Thank you for the kind feedback on the meditations I've shared already.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/03/our-failures-are-the-cracks-through-which-gods-light-enters/
So last lot of photos from our break in Majorca. F So last lot of photos from our break in Majorca. First image in a stalagmite and stalactite cave through which an undergroun river wended—but one with no trace of Gollum.
It’s definitely spring here… and our garden is a mixture of daffodils, crocus and hellebores.
And here I’ve recorded a short 5 minute meditation on lifting our spirits and practising gratitude by noticing that the whole world is full of God’s glory. Do listen.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/02/24/the-whole-earth-is-full-of-gods-glory/
Our family was in Majorca for 9 sunny days, and he Our family was in Majorca for 9 sunny days, and here are some pictures.
Also, I have started a meditation podcast, Christian meditation with Anita Mathias. Have a listen. https://anitamathias.com/2023/02/20/mindfulness-is-remembering-the-presence-of-christ-with-us/
Feedback welcome!
If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of th If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of the world on Black Friday, my memoir ,Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India, is on sale on Kindle all over the world for a few days. 
Carolyn Weber (who has written "Surprised by Oxford," an amazing memoir about coming to faith in Oxford https://amzn.to/3XyIftO )  has written a lovely endorsement of my memoir:
"Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Anita Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard earned wisdom about navigating the life of thoughtful faith in a world of cultural complexities. Her story bears witness to how God wastes nothing and redeems all. Her words sing of a spirit strong in courage, compassion and a pervasive dedication to the adventure of life. As a reader, I have been challenged and changed by her beautifully told and powerful story - so will you."
The memoir is available on sale on Amazon.co.uk at https://amzn.to/3u0Ib8o and on Amazon.com at https://amzn.to/3u0IBvu and is reduced on the other Amazon sites too.
Thank you, and please let me know if you read and enjoy it!! #memoir #indianchildhood #india
Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping! So i Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping!
So it’s a beautiful November here in Oxford, and the trees are blazing. We will soon be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary…and are hoping for at least 33 more!! 
And here’s a chapter from my memoir of growing up Catholic in India… rosaries at the grotto, potlucks, the Catholic Family Movement, American missionary Jesuits, Mangaloreans, Goans, and food, food food…
https://anitamathias.com/2022/11/07/rosaries-at-the-grotto-a-chapter-from-my-newly-published-memoir-rosaries-reading-steel-a-catholic-childhood-in-india/
Available on Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3Apjt5r and on Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3gcVboa and wherever Amazon sells books, as well as at most online retailers.
#birthdayparty #memoir #jamshedpur #India #rosariesreadingsecrets
Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but it’s time to resume, and so I have. Here’s a blog on an absolutely infallible secret of joy, https://anitamathias.com/2022/10/28/an-infallible-secret-of-joy/
Jenny Lewis, whose Gilgamesh Retold https://amzn.to/3zsYfCX is an amazing new translation of the epic, has kindly endorsed my memoir. She writes, “With Rosaries, Reading and Secrets, Anita Mathias invites us into a totally absorbing world of past and present marvels. She is a natural and gifted storyteller who weaves history and biography together in a magical mix. Erudite and literary, generously laced with poetic and literary references and Dickensian levels of observation and detail, Rosaries is alive with glowing, vivid details, bringing to life an era and culture that is unforgettable. A beautifully written, important and addictive book.”
I would, of course, be delighted if you read it. Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3gThsr4 and Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3WdCBwk #joy #amwriting #amblogging #icecreamjoy
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