Rhoddodd yr Esgob anerchiad ar S4C ar ddydd Gwener y Groglith 2020. Gellir ei wylio yma, ac mae'r testun yma.
Neges y Pasg ar ddydd Gwener y Groglith 2020
Noswaith dda.
Dwi’n siarad â chi ar y dydd Gwener hwn, dydd Gwener y Groglith, o Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor. Fe sefydlodd Deiniol Sant gymuned Gristnogol yn y fan hon ar ddechrau’r chweched ganrif. Byth ers hynny, mae pobl wedi dod i’r lle hwn, o bell ac agos, i ymgynnull a gweddïo ac addoli Duw. Ac mae pobl wedi mynd o’r lle hwn wedi eu hysbrydoli gan gariad Duw, i wasanaethau eu cymunedau a’u cenedl. Mae yna gadwyn o ddefosiwn i Dduw yn y fan hon sy’n ddi-dor am fileniwm a hanner. Yn ein dyddiau ni, mae’r Gadeirlan yng nghalon cymuned fywiog, yn pontio’r brifysgol ar y bryn, â siopau, caffis a tai bwyta y stryd fawr.
Ond heddiw, mae’r Gadeirlan a’r ddinas o’i hamgylch hi yn dawel – yn iasol o dawel. Ac mae hynny’n brofiad cyffredin ledled Cymru. Rydym ni gyd yn profi effeithiau'r Coronafirws yn ein bywydau beunyddiol. Mae’r hunan-ynysu a’r pellhau cymdeithasol sy’n angenrheidiol ar hyn o bryd yn brofiad newydd ac anghyfforddus inni. Mae patrwm bywyd bob dydd – a oedd yn llawn cyswllt hefo ffrindau a chyd-weithwyr – bellach ar chwâl, ac mae’r ysgytwad wedi bod yn sioc i lawer ohonom ni.
Rwy’n ymwybodol y bydd yna bobl ledled Cymru heno yn teimlo ar goll – pobl fydd wedi eu hestroni yn eu cartrefi, ac yn ei chael hi’n anodd i gadw mewn cysylltiad hefo ffrindiau a theulu.
Mi fydd eraill heno’n bryderus am eu bywoliaeth, wrth i’r firws fygwth ein patrymau gwaith. Eisoes mae yna swyddi wedi eu colli ym myd diwydiant, gwasanaethau, ffermio a manwerthu. Mae'r caledi hwn yn real, ac mae’r canlyniadau'n heriol.
Ac fe fydd eraill eto’n profi’r tristwch sy’n dod o orfod ymatal rhag rhai o bethau pwysig bywyd. Mae priodasau a bedyddiadau yn gofod cael eu hail-drefnu, gwyliau hir-ddisgwyliedig yn gorfod cael eu gohirio. Dwi’n arbennig o boenus am y rhai hynny sy’n gorfod claddu eu hanwyliaid mewn ffordd na fyddai'r un ohonom ni wedi ei ddymuno. Rwyf am i chi wybod fod pobl ddi-rif ledled Cymru yn gweddïo amdanoch, ac yn cydymdeimlo’n ddwys hefo chi yn eich profedigaeth ymysg y rhwystrau hyn.
Rwyf am dalu teyrnged i'r rhai sydd wedi ymateb yn ddewr, ac sy’n mynd i’r afel â’r heriau sy’n ein wynebu ni. Mae’n diolch ni’n fawr i staff y Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol, i weithwyr iechyd a darparwyr gofal, ac i’r miloedd sydd wedi gwirfoddoli i ychwanegu eu hunain at eu nifer.
Ac ma na eraill hefyd sy’n gwirfoddoli i redeg banciau bwyd, i wneud y siopa ar ran y bregus, i ddosbarthu meddyginiaeth, i gynnal gwasanaethau angenrheidiol, i sicrhau bod unigedd yn cael ei leihau drwy sgwrsio ar y ffôn neu dros y rhyngrwyd. Rydych chi gyd fel y cymeriad hwnnw yn un o straeon Iesu, y Samariad Trugarog, a ddangosodd gariad ymarferol at gymydog mewn angen, hyd yn oed pan oedd hynny’n peryglu ei les ei hun.
Un o'r pethau trawiadol am y ffordd ryfedd, newydd hon o fyw yw ei fod wedi esgor ar ambell beth annisgwyl. Galwad ffôn gan rywun fu’n ddiethryn am flynyddoedd. Y wên gynnes ar draws y stryd wrth fynd am dro, sydd fel petai’n dweud, “Rwy’n sylwi arnoch chi; tydi hyn yn rhyfedd!”
Mae’r llonyddwch hefyd yn gallu cynnig cyfle i feithrin pethau newydd. Mae un o’m cydweithwyr wedi addo dysgu iaith newydd, ac un arall am ysgrifennu llyfr! Dyma’r amser i hogi'ch sgiliau Minecraft os oes gennych ffrindiau sy'n rhannu eich angerdd!
Ac fe all y distawrwydd ei hun, o’i gofleidio yn hytrach na’i ofni, agor y drws i brofiadau newydd, dyfnach. Cân yr adar ar doriad gwawr. Y golygfeydd o'n cwmpas, boed hynny yng nghanol prydferthwch nghefn gwlad neu yn y ddinas wag. Y cyfle i hel atgofion ar yr aelwyd, ac i rannu profiad. Yn y tawelwch mae na gyfle i holi cwestiynau ohonom ni ein hunain, ac i weld ein hunain o gyfeiriad gwahanol. Pwy ydym ni go iawn? Ydyn ni’n byw’n bywyd hyd eithaf ein potensial? Wnawn ni’r mwyaf o bob diwrnod a ddaw i’n rhan?
Mae dydd Gwener y Groglith ein dwyn ni i galon y ffydd Gristnogol. Heddiw down wyneb yn wyneb hefo Iesu Grist yn marw ar y Groes. Mi ddaeth y Cristnogion cynnar, er yn ddryslyd ar y dechrau, i ddeall nad trychineb oedd hyn – ond modd goruchaf Duw o estyn allan atom ni. Fe fu iddyn nhw ddarganfod mai'r Groes oedd y ffordd y safodd Duw ochr yn ochr â phob un ohonom ni – Duw gyda ni, yn ei llawenydd a’n poenau, yn ein holl gwestiynu a'n dryswch. Crist ei hun floeddiodd Iesu o’r Groes, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani”, “Fy Nuw, fy Nuw, pam yr wyt wedi fy ngadael?” Dyna gwestiwn ein dyddiau ni – y cwestiwn y mae llawer ohonom ni’n ei floeddio yn ein dryswch a’n pryder presennol – y cwestiwn a ofynnodd Crist ei hun o’i boen a’i anobaith ef.
Mi ddo’i o hyd i gysur mawr o ddeall bod Duw ei hun wedi blasu ein dryswch a’n pryder a’n poen ni. Nid rhywbeth estron yw hynny i Dduw – mae o’n ei ddeall o’r tu mewn, o’i brofiad ef ei hun.
Ond camgymeriad fyddai credu mai’r cyfan a wna Duw ydi cydymdeimlo hefo ni yn ein trallod. Mae gan Duw fwy i’w ddweud, a mwy i’w wneud, na hynny. Cafodd y waedd honno o’r Groes ei hateb: dridiau yn ddiweddarach pan godwyd Iesu oddi wrth y meirw. Fe wyddoch chi’r hanes – sut y bu iddynt ruthro at y bedd, a chredu bod lladron wedi bod yno – sut y bu iddynt fethu â deal beth oedd wedi digwydd – sut y bu iddynt wasgaru i’r pedwar gwynt mewn iselder dwfn, gan fethu deall beth allai'r bedd gwag ei olygu. Ond fe ddaw deall newydd – fe ddaw yna newid – wrth i'r Cristnogion cyntaf hynny gyfarfod yr Iesu atgyfodedig.
Gwrandewch ar yr hanes o un o'r efengylau:
Wedi iddynt nesáu at y pentref yr oeddent ar eu ffordd iddo, cymerodd ef arno ei fod yn mynd ymhellach. Ond meddent wrtho, gan bwyso arno, “Aros gyda ni, oherwydd y mae hi'n nosi, a'r dydd yn dirwyn i ben.” Yna aeth i mewn i aros gyda hwy. Wedi cymryd ei le wrth y bwrdd gyda hwy, cymerodd y bara a bendithio, a'i dorri a'i roi iddynt. Agorwyd eu llygaid hwy, ac adnabuasant ef. A diflannodd ef o'u golwg. Meddent wrth ei gilydd, “Onid oedd ein calonnau ar dân ynom wrth iddo siarad â ni ar y ffordd, pan oedd yn egluro'r Ysgrythurau inni?”
Unwaith iddynt wybod ei fod yn fyw, ni allai bywyd fyth fod yr un peth i'r credinwyr cynnar hynny. Y newid cyntaf oedd alltudio’r galar dwfn hwnnw a oedd yn dweud wrthynt nad oedd pwrpas nac ystyr i fywyd. Fe fu iddyn nhw ddarganfod y gwrthwyneb i hynny – canfod cyflawnder bywyd, bywyd sy’n gyfoethog ac yn llawn posibiliadau, bywyd ar ei newydd wedd. Roedd modd iddyn nhw droi cefn ar eu gofidiau a’u tristwch, am iddyn nhw fedru cofleidio Duw oedd maddau a thrigarhau, Duw oedd yn atgyweirio ac yn perffeithio, Duw oedd yn addo ac yn caru. A dyma nhw'n darganfod bod addewid a chariad bywyd ar gael i bawb – bod pawb yn werthfawr yng ngolwg Duw. Mae'r cam olaf hwn yn eu dealltwriaeth nhw mor bwysig i ni heddiw hefyd. Mae’r Eglwys Gadeiriol hon yn wag ar hyn o bryd, ond nid adeilad ydi Eglwys, ond pobl. Ac nid yw'r Eglwys erioed wedi bodoli er ei lles hi ei hun, ond er mwyn rhannu addewid a chariad Duw gyda phawb.
Ac er y pryder a’r tywyllwch sydd o’n hamgylch ni, mae’r addewid a’r cariad hwnnw heddiw ar waith. Rwyf wedi gweld fu hun sut y mae eglwysi a chapeli a grwpiau cymunedol ac elusennau wedi llamu dros yr wythnosau diwethaf i help’u bregus yn ein plith. Mae'r gweithredoedd hyn llawn addewid a chariad. Maen nhw’n dangos inni’n glir bod yna’r fath beth â chymdeithas, ac rydyn ni oll yn rhan ohoni. Yn rhan ohoni, ac yn gyfrifol oddi mewn iddi am rannu addewid a chariad y Cristnogion cynnar hynny – addewid a chariad yr atgyfodiad – addewid a chariad sy’n cofleidio pawb ac sy’n estron i neb.
Ynghanol y pryder a’r tywyllwch, felly, fe ddaw’r cyfle i fynegi neu i dderbyn cariad a gofal mewn ffyrdd newydd a chreadigol. Pan fyddwn ni yng nghanol unrhyw argyfwng, mae’n anodd gweld tu hwnt i orwel ein gofid. Ond ni fydd hi’n dywyll am byth. Diau y bydd yna wersi i’w dysgu, a ffyrdd i’w canfod i warchod yn erbyn rhai o sgil-effeithiau poenus globaleiddio. Ond fy ngobaith cadarn i yw y bydd gwers arall i’w dysgu hefyd: Mae angen i ni ddal yn dynn ar y cariad a’r gofal sydd ar led ar hyn o bryd, a’i blethu i mewn i bob rhan o’n bywyd beunyddiol ni ar y cyd. Mae angen i ni allu troi cefn ar gyfundrefnau sy’n magu gofid a thristwch, a meithrin byd sy’n cynnig addewid a gobaith yr atgyfodiad i’r anghenus a’r bregus mewn ffyrdd diffuant, gwiw a real.
Dwi’n clywed geiriau emyn fawr Watkin Wyn:
Mae teg oleuni blaen y wawr
o wlad i wlad yn dweud yn awr
fod bore ddydd gerllaw;
mae pen y bryniau’n llawenhau
wrth weld yr haul yn agosáu
a’r nos yn cilio draw.
Hawdd, ac anghywir, fyddai gadael hynny i’r ‘gweithwyr proffesiynol’ a’r ‘gwleidyddion’. Galwedigaeth pob un ohonom ni yw ymroi i greu ffordd newydd o fyw. Gweledigaeth o fyd ar ei newydd wedd yw calon neges y Pasg. Byd newydd llawn addewid a chariad sydd wrth graidd yr atgyfodiad. Tybed a allwn fagu a meithrin y byd hwnnw yn ein heneidiau, a’i roi ar waith yn ein dyddiau ni?
Annwyl ffrindiau, rwy’n dymuno Pasg hapus a bendithiol i chi i gyd. Nid dyma’r Pasg y byddem ni wedi ei ddewis, ond gadewch i ni ddysgu gwersi newydd a hanfodol wrth weld addewid a chariad Duw yng nghanol helbul ein byd.
Bydded i Dduw eich bendithio a’ch cadw; boed ei lewyrch ar eich hanwyliaid a’ch haelwydydd; bydded iddo edrych arnoch yn gariadus a rhoi i chwi dangnefedd ei atgyfodiad. Amen.
The Bishop gave an address on S4C on Good Friday 2020. It can be viewed here, and the English-language text is below.
Easter Message on Good Friday 2020
Good evening.
I’m speaking to you on this Good Friday from Bangor Cathedral. This ancient church is the oldest Cathedral foundation in the whole of the British Isles whose origins are from the time of St Deiniol who founded a Christian community here in the sixth century. Across the centuries it’s been a place of pilgrimage and prayer, of worship and service to the community and of gathering for locals and visitors. It sits at the heart of a vibrant community and forms a natural bridge between the university college and the shops, cafes and restaurants of the city.
As I am speaking to you, this place along with the rest of the city is quiet. It feels eerily quiet. We are all experiencing the effects of the Coronavirus in our communities as well as the nation. Whether we are self-isolating and needing to live at a distance from others, none of us have seen this kind of thing before. So much of our common life brings us into daily contact with those whom we know, love or work with and the shift we are now needing to make, is alien to most of us. I am deeply conscious this evening that there will be people who are bemused and confused across Wales. I am conscious that there will be people who are struggling to make that shift either because they are unfamiliar with newer forms of communication or because they have do not have the means of connecting to that network provided by social media.
In our communities, there will be those who are isolated and frightened. There will be others who are struggling to adapt to new patterns of work and routine. There have already been job losses across every sector of life – in industry, services, farming and retail. These hardships are real and their consequences are challenging.
I know there are those whose lives have been put on hold: those planning to marry, to baptize their child, those who have planned for a long-desired holiday. I am most conscious that those who are burying their loved ones are doing so in a way none of us would have wished. I want you to know we understand how hard are all of these things. You are prayed for by countless people across Wales who appreciate the anguish this is causing.
I want to pay tribute to those who responding with courage and resolve to these challenges. And of course pay tribute to those who work within the NHS and those who care for the most vulnerability in society. The retired doctors and nurses and other health professionals are owed an enormous debt of gratitude we will not be able to repay. There are those who are volunteering too to help in the delivery of shopping, medicines, medical equipment and to make sure that isolation is reduced – phone calls, letters or skype conversations. We are so profoundly grateful to you all. I am conscious that you are like that character in one of Jesus’ stories (the Good Samaritan) who showed love, practical love for a neighbour in need when this involved risk to himself.
One of the things I have noticed about this new way of living is how it has brought about some things which have been unexpected. A phone call from someone absent for years, the knowing and warm smile, when out walking you pass by but now at a safe distance, as though to say, ‘I notice you and isn’t this a bit strange’? The quiet, which can be troubling, offers the opportunity to do some things which time rarely allows: a colleague has vowed to learn a new language and another to write a book! But even the silence itself, which can be threatening, allows new space. Understood not as a threat but as a gift, it can be the opportunity to enjoy the birdsong at the dawn of a new day, the sights around us, whether in country or town. It can be the chance to revisit old and treasured memories, or to hone your Minecraft skills if you have friends who share your passion! It can be an opportunity to ask questions about our own lives and direction: Who are we and are we living to our full potential making the most of each special day?
Good Friday takes us to the heart of Christian faith. It is today, supremely, when we remember that Jesus died on the cross. The early Christians, bewildered at first, came to understand this was not a disaster but how God was reaching out to us. They discovered the cross was the way God stood shoulder to shoulder with each and every one of us – in all of our joys and pains, in all of our questions and confusion. When Jesus cried from the cross ‘Eloi eloi lama sabachthani’, this question was addressed directly to God. We might relate to this question right now, feeling isolated, alone or troubled and very confused.
I found great comfort in the fact that God understands all of this from the ‘inside’ if you like. He knows what it’s like because, in his Son Jesus, he has tasted the very isolation and bewilderment we have.
We would be mistaken however if we thought today is about the way God sympathizes with us, who says ‘I hear and understand’ but hasn’t much more to say. Christians do not believe God is impotent! That cry from the cross had its answer: three days later when Jesus was raised from the dead. If you know the story, you’ll know how they rushed to the place he was laid. And their first thought was of robbery: ‘Tell us where you’ve taken him’ one of them asked. What followed looks like deep depression – they scatter to different places not understanding what the empty grave might mean. What changed for those first Christians was when they met him.
Listen to this account from one of the gospels:
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’
Once they knew He was alive, life could never be the same for these early believers. The first thing that shifted for them was the deep gloom that life had no purpose or meaning. They discovered a fullness of life, rich and full of possibilities as they saw the present through a new set of lenses if you like. They found their past sorrows and sadness’s were consumed by the knowledge God had put right what was bent and crooked in their lives. And they discovered that life meant everyone was precious in God’s eyes. This last shift in their thinking is so important for us today. This Cathedral may be empty at the moment, but the church is not a building. It is people. And the church has never existed for itself but rather for others.
I have been moved to hear stories of those who continue to work in our foodbanks and with other agencies to ensure the most vulnerable do not suffer. I have seen how church and chapel, community groups and charities have ensured medication and information arrives safely in their locality. These acts of love and care are transforming. They show what we have always known to be true: that there is such a thing as society and we are a part of it. Moreover we are responsible within it as well – to reflect the resurrection love and commitment of those first Christians so no one misses out or is lost.
This time of uncertainty therefore brings the opportunity to express or receive love and care in a new and creative way. When we’re in the midst of a crisis, it can be hard to see beyond the present time and I understand this. However, this will not continue forever. No doubt there will be a ‘Lessons Learned’ review, how we can guard against one of the consequences of globalization in the future. But it’s my hope and firm conviction that we will need another kind of review as well: we need to be able to capture this care and love for others in a new way; we need to be able to map it firmly onto our common life and at every level. We need to be able to respond in ways that, do not hearken to a forgotten past but forge a better future in which the needy, the most vulnerable and the elderly lie at the heart of our work.
I am reminded of the words of that great hymn by Watkin Wyn:
Mae teg oleuni blaen y wawr
o wlad i wlad yn dweud yn awr
fod bore ddydd gerllaw;
mae pen y bryniau’n llawenhau
wrth weld yr haul yn agosáu
a’r nos yn cilio draw.
It would be easy to leave this to the ‘professionals’ or the ‘politicians’ and this would be a mistake. We can all play a part in forging a new way of living: this vision of a transformed society is what I think Easter truly means. It’s how God reaches out to us with new love and concern for others. I wonder if we can allow our imagination to be shaped and won so this becomes something of a reality?
Dear friends, may I wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter? This is not as we would have wished to celebrate the season but, perhaps, we are learning new and vital lessons. May God bless and your loved ones, give you hope for the future, strong assurance here and now and the peace of Christ which is beyond all our understanding. Amen.