Tuesday 16 June Richard of

Today the church gives thanks for Richard of Chichester, who died in 1253. You may not know his name but you will know his : Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, follow thee more nearly and love thee more dearly, day by da.,

Richard was a farmer’s son who studied the law and became Chancellor of Oxford University, then of Canterbury; he was ordained priest and became in 1244. He was a reforming bishop, raising standards in the church, with high expectations of his priests. He is said to have been a good model for a diocesan bishop: accessible, generous and fair. He was a man of conviction and principle and stood up for what he believed in despite opposition. He thanked Jesus for ‘all the pains and insults’ and as he did so, he perhaps reflected on the way he was treated for standing up for what is right. Taking up his cross meant identifying with Christ in that way. In the aftermath of the horrific death of George Floyd and the wave of reactions across the world, the renewed awareness of racial hatred, we have been brutally reminded of how some humans inflict pain and insult on others, of the cruelty and callousness of which we can be guilty. Jesus was a victim of that human cruelty, and identifies indeed with those who even to this day suffer such treatment at the hands of fellow human beings. The prayer of Richard of Chichester has been loved through the centuries perhaps because it beautifully encapsulates so much about the Christian walk in a world of suffering. We could make it a daily prayer and pattern for our living. It is such a good model of prayer. It puts Jesus at the centre; it reminds us of all that he did for us, the huge sacrifices he made for us, of what we gain through him. It calls Jesus our friend and brother, bringing him close to us, as well as Lord and Christ, the transcendent God whom we worship. Implicitly it offers up our own struggles. It asks for a closer daily walk with our Lord, to know him, to follow and to love him more each day. Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, follow thee more nearly and love thee more dearly, day by day, Amen.