Llythyr oddi wrth yr Esgob
15 Mai 2021 | Coffád Edmwnd Prys a John Davies
Annwyl gyfeillion
Pob gras a thangnefedd i chi.
Gobaith dycharfedig
Mae Gŵyl y Dyrchafael yn aml yng nghudd yng nghysgod ddigwyddiadau'r Pasg a'r Sulgwyn.
Efallai nad ydi absenoldeb Iesu yn taro rhywun fel achos dathlu. Ond roedd y Cristnogion cyntaf yn amlwg wedi eu hanimeiddio ac llawn gobaith a disgwyliad.
A allwn ni ganfod pont rhwng eu profiad hwy a'n profiad ni? Rwy'n myfyrio ar hyn yr wythnos hon.
Rwyf wedi gwerthfawrogi'r cyfle dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf i rannu myfyrdodau wedi'u recordio ac yn ysgrifenedig yn wythnosol. Mae wedi bod yn galonogol clywed am y defnydd a wneir o'r myfyrdodau hyn, a'r anogaeth y maent wedi'u rhoi i'r rhai sydd wedi eu hatal rhag mynychu addoliad yn gorfforol yn ystod y pandemig.
Fel y nodwyd yr pythons ddiwethaf, nawr ein bod yn gallu ymgynnull unwaith yn rhagor, rwy’n dwyn fy myfyrdodau wythnosol i ben, gan gloi gyda myfyrdod yr wythnos hon.
Yr wythnos nesaf, ar y Sulgwyn, rwy'n falch y bydd Archddiacon Bangor a minnau'n arwain gwasanaeth i'w ddarlledu ar Radio 4.
Mae'r adborth am Llythyrau'r Esgob mynych hyn wedi bod yn gadarnhaol. Fe ddechreuon nhw fel ffordd o'n diweddaru ni am effaith y pandemig, ond maen nhw wedi tyfu i fod yn fodd i rannu newyddion am ein bywyd ar y cyd fel esgobaeth. Fy mwriad yw eu bod yn parhau i gael eu cyhoeddi'n aml a'u bod yn darparu'r prif fodd o gyfathrebu'n rheolaidd fel esgobaeth.
Camu tag adferiad
Roedd hi'n fendithiol medru mynychu pob un o'r tri chyfarfod Synod - yn Ynys Môn, Bangor a Meirionnydd - yr wythnos ddiwethaf hon.
Yn y Synodau, bu imi ymestyn gwahoddiad inni fyfyrio ar gameu tuag adferiad wrth i ni, fe obeithio, ddechrau troi cefn ar y pandemig. Yn ogystal â rhannu’r gwaith y byddaf yn ei wneud gyda Chyngor yr Esgob a Chyngor yr Esgobaeth dros y misoedd nesaf, anogais yr Ardaloedd Gweinidogaethu hwythau i gymryd camau pendant ymlaen.
Yn benodol, gwahoddais gydweithwyr, yn ystod cyfnod cyntaf o fis Mai tan fis Medi, i ail-ffocysu Cynlluniau Datblygu Cenhadaeth eu Hardaloedd Gweinidogaeth i weddu ein cyd-destun newydd, ac i blethu i'w hail-ffocysu eu myfyrdodau ar bopeth yr ydym wedi'i ddysgu am ffydd, gobaith a chariad dros y misoedd dyrus hyn.
Gellir gweld y sleidiau a ddefnyddiais ar gyfer fy nghyflwyniad yma.
Diwedd y byd?
Bu'r Parchg Gethin Abraham-Williams yn Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol Cytûn: Eglwysi Ynghyd yng Nghymru am flynyddoedd lawer. Cyflwynir darlith goffa Gethin Abraham-Williams eleni ar-lein ddydd Iau yma 20 Mai am 5pm.
Y darlithydd yw'r Parchg Gethin Rhys, a'i destun fydd "Diwedd y Byd? Apocalyptic Cristnogol ac ymatebion i newid hinsawdd". Am ei ddarlith, meddai Gethin:
Mae llawer o bobl yn galw sylwadau pobl megis Greta Thunberg a rhai gwyddonwyr, llenorion ac ymgyrchwyr am newid hinsawdd yn ‘apocalyptaidd’ – ystyrier, er enghraifft, yr enw ‘Extinction Rebellion’. Defnyddir yr un gair i gyfeirio at rannau o’r Beibl, megis rhannau o lyfr Daniel, Marc 13 neu lyfr y Datguddiad. Rwy wedi bod yn ystyried beth yw’r berthynas rhwng yr hen lenyddiaeth apocalyptaidd Feiblaidd a’r apocalyptic seciwlar newydd sydd yn codi. Ai arwydd o anobaith yw arddel y syniad o apocalyps, ynteu arwydd o obaith – fel y bwriadai’r awduron Beiblaidd? Dyna fydd maes y ddarlith.
Gellir cofrestru i fynychu fan hyn.
Hysbysfwrdd esgobaethol
- Mae Deled dy Deyrnas eleni'n mynd rhagddo. Ceir cyfoeth o adnoddau ar wefan Deled dy Deyrnas. Mae'r dyddiadur gweddi yn y Gymraeg ar gael fan hyn.
- Ceir gwybodaeth am adroddiad newydd y Comisiwn Athrawiaethol ar weinidogaeth, gan gynnwys cyfres barhaus o fideos a thrafodaethau, fan hyn.
- Os hoffech rannu hysbys, newydd am ddigwyddiadau neu adnoddau yma, cysylltwch â Robert Jones.
Cofiwch y gweddïir drosoch bob dydd yn Nhŷ'r Esgob: chi, eich teuluoedd a'ch Ardaloedd Gweinidogaeth. Gras a thangnefedd i chwi oll.
Dduw cariad, mae dy Fab, Iesu, wedi amlygu dy enw ac eiddot ti ydym ni. Cadwa ni rhag yr un drwg a chysegra ni yn dy wirionedd fel y gellir ein hanfon allan i gyhoeddi dy gariad ac atgyfodiad gogoneddus dy Fab. Dyma’n gweddi yn nerth yr Ysbryd Glân. Haleliwia. Amen.
Y Gwir Barchg Andy John
Esgob Bangor
Tanysgrifiwch i dderbyn hysbys ar e-bost am Lythyr yr Esgob a chyhoeddiadau esgobaethol
A letter from the Bishop
15 May 2021 | Commemoration of Edmwnd Prys & John Davies
Dear colleagues and friends
All grace and peace to you.
Ascending hope
We regard the Ascension of Jesus as a poor cousin to the events of Easter and Pentecost.
The absence of Jesus might not seem a piece of good news. But the first Christians were clearly animated and approached the forthcoming festival with hope and expectation.
Can we find resonance between their experience and ours? I reflect on this in my meditation.
I have valued the opportunity over the past year to share recorded and written meditations on a weekly basis. It has been encouraging to hear about the use made of these meditations, and the encouragement that they have give to those unable to attend in-person worship during the pandemic.
As noted last week, now that we are able to gather in numbers again, I am now drawing my weekly meditations to an end, concluding with this week’s meditation.
Next, on Whitsun, I am pleased that the Archdeacon of Bangor and I will be leading a broadcast service on Radio 4.
Feedback about these frequent Bishop’s Letters has been positive. They began as a means of updating us about the impact of the pandemic, but have grown to be a means of sharing news about our common life as a diocese. It is my intention that they continue to be issued frequently and that they provide the main means of communicating regularly across the diocese.
Roadmap to recovery
It was good to be able to attend all three Synod meetings - in Anglesey, Bangor and Meirionnydd - this past week.
At the Synods, I invited us to reflect on a roadmap to recovery as, hopefully, we emerge from the pandemic. As well as sharing the work which I will be undertaking with the Bishop’s Council and the Diocesan Council over coming months, I also encouraged Ministry Areas to take concrete steps forward.
In particular, I invited colleagues, during a first phase from now until September, to refocus Ministry Area Mission Development Plans on our new context, and to weave into their work their reflections on all that we have learnt about faith, hope and love these past few months.
The slides I used for my presentation can be seen here.
The end of the world?
The Revd Gethin Abraham-Williams was General Secretary of Cytûn: Churches Together in Wales for many years. This year's Gethin Abraham-Williams memorial lecture is delivered online this coming Thursday 20 May at 5pm.
The lecturer is the Revd Gethin Rhys, whose subject is "The End of the World? Christian apocalyptic and responses to climate change". About his lecture, Gethin writes:
Many people call the comments of people like Greta Thunberg and some scientists, writers and campaigners about climate change 'apocalyptic' - consider the name 'Extinction Rebellion' for example. The same word is used to refer to parts of the Bible, such as sections of the Book of Daniel, Mark chapter 13 or the Book of Revelation. I have been considering the relationship between the old Biblical apocalyptic literature and the emerging secular apocalyptic. Is the idea of ‘apocalypse’ a sign of despair, or a sign of hope - as the Bible writers intended? That’s what I will be exploring in this lecture.
Register to attend the lecture here.
Diocesan noticeboard
- This year's Thy Kingdom Come is now underway. There's a wealth of resources on the Thy Kingdom Come website. The Welsh-language version of the prayer diary is available here.
- Information about the Doctrinal Commission's new report on ministry, including an ongoing series of videos and discussions, is available here.
- If you would like to share updates, news about events or resources here, please send details to Robert Jones.
Please remember you are prayed for each day in Ty’r Esgob: you, your families and Ministry Areas. Grace and peace to you all.
God of love, your Son, Jesus, has made you known and we are yours. Protect us from the evil one and sanctify us in your truth so that we can be sent out to proclaim your love and the glorious resurrection of your Son. This we ask in the power of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia. Amen.
The Rt Revd Andy John
Bishop of Bangor