Bloomsday

Prayer for the Day presented by Reverend Dr Rosa Hunt, minister of Tabernacl chapel in the city centre of Cardiff.

Hello, and happy Bloomsday! Today is the day on which the whole of James Joyce's Ulysses is set (16 June 1904). An entire novel in a single ordinary day in Dublin. The name comes from the novel's central character, Leopold Bloom who wanders around Dublin over the course of the day. A day like many others: making breakfast, going to a funeral, walking on the beach, visiting a pub, buying soap.

The first organised Bloomsday was in 1954, but today it’s a major cultural event, especially in Dublin — people dress in Edwardian costume, read passages aloud, eat the foods Bloom eats and visit the places named in the text.
The date wasn't random for Joyce either. 16 June 1904 was the day of his first outing with Nora Barnacle, the woman who became his lifelong partner. We never know how significant an ordinary day might turn out to be.

The novel's closing soliloquy ends: "...and yes I said yes I will Yes”. It’s an invitation for each of us to say ‘yes’ to the great adventure of life and love that this most ordinary of days might hold.

Loving God, this is the day that you have made, and we thank you for the gift of it. Open our eyes to see the small miracles, the unexpected kindnesses and the heart-stopping beauties of today. And where we encounter squirming embarrassments, depressing failures or downright tragedy, open our eyes to see your sustaining loving presence through it all. Give us the courage to say a bigger yes to life today. Amen.