³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Good morning.

All over Wales today there will be celebrations. In Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Bangor and elsewhere there will be parades, music, costumes, cheerfulness and no doubt a good few daffodils and leeks. March 1st - St David’s Day, has grown in significance in recent years and there have been a number of calls for it to be made a bank holiday in Wales.

St David lived in the 6th century, and founded a dozen monastic communities dedicated to a simple life of prayer, work and service of others. The main memorial to him is his Cathedral in West Wales. Set beside a vast ruined Bishop’s palace, an apt symbol of the vanity of power and riches, the cathedral nestles in a hollow of the hills exuding tranquillity and holiness, still offering daily prayer and praise.

One of the advances in understanding in recent years is the realisation that each of us has not one, but a number of different identities. I regard myself as Christian by religion, British by citizenship and Welsh by nationality for example. But all identities are problematic.

There is a good side. For example someone who is marginalised or oppressed can find support by banding together with others of the same identity, and with them find dignity in affirming its worth. We have seen this most obviously in relation to gender, race and sexuality. However, at the same time identities tend to divide us from one another. I am this, you are that. And whilst this can lead to good natured rivalry on the sporting field, it can be vicious and bloody as we know from the terrible conflicts in the world at the moment.

If our identities tend to divide us from one another, is there an identity we would claim for ourselves that unites us to others? British Citizenship I think goes part of the way. Whether we are Welsh or Scottish, whether our ancestors come from India or Africa, we are united in being equal before the law. We share certain fundamental rights and carry particular responsibilities.

But what about religious identity? This can be a wonderful bond with fellow believers. Muslims across the world feel united with one another in the Ummah. Christians are one in the mystical body of Christ, uniting the faithful on earth and in heaven. But for me being Christian goes beyond this even. Because God in Christ united himself with human nature. It affects the way I try to see every human being, not as another, but as sharing the same frail humanity and the same spiritual potential. To be a Christian is to share a solidarity with every human being.

Show less