Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Official Report 967KB pdf

Time for Reflection

Good afternoon, colleagues, and welcome. Before we begin, I remind members that social distancing measures are in place throughout the campus, and I remind you to observe those measures when you enter and leave the chamber.

Our first item of business today is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is the Very Reverend Dr Isaac Poobalan, provost of St Andrew’s cathedral and chaplain at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary said yes to life when life was full of uncertainty and the fear of the unknown. Mary’s audacity for life made Luke, the physician and historian, record her vision for her times and her people, which I believe is apt for us now.

The manifesto of Mary, known as the Magnificat, inspired generations of composers and artists. Her voice of defiance against the dehumanising powers of her time can be heard echoing down the centuries. A version of that song was recorded specifically for the pleasure of this chamber, at the cathedral church of St Andrew in Aberdeen. It is available on the church’s website for you to hear at your leisure. Hear now a paraphrased version.

My soul proclaims the greatness of life
My spirit rejoices in the power of saying yes to that life.
In the face of disease and death, life bursts out with beauty and splendour.
It brings new life in pandemic and lockdown.
This life is the light of humanity.
It shines in the darkness and the darkness of death cannot overcome it.
For saying yes to life, generations to come will call us “The blessed”.
The life that we now live will do great things for us.
Our audacity for life is most gracious and most merciful.
This our choice for life humbles the conceited proud.
It casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the humble.
Our “yes to life” will feed the hungry and send the rich away empty.
The promise of life is for all life.

We say yes to life as we emerge from a season of uncertainty and the unknown. We see signs of new life and new opportunities, and we have learned how precious life is and that all life matters.

When Aberdeen entered a period of local lockdown, I received nothing but words of solidarity and compassion from friends of Aberdeen and the cathedral church of St Andrew from around the world. St Andrew’s cathedral in Aberdeen, the birthplace of the worldwide Anglican communion and the Episcopal Church USA, had the audacity to say yes to life when life seemed impossible, more than three centuries ago.

In solidarity with Mary, we say yes to life today. May God bless you in this chamber as you say yes to life in Scotland. [Applause.]

Thank you very much.