THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “Let Adversity be thy Friend”4th May 2020As we reach the midpoint of our 6th or is it 7th week of lock-down (I’m beginning to lose count) there are, understandably, increased calls from many quarters for an exit strategy which will return us to normal life as soon as possible. However, will the “normal” of the future be the same as the one before Covid 19? Well that remains to be seen but my hope is that it won’t. Out of this crisis have come so many pointers about how to care for our planet and for each other in the future.I found myself musing on these the other day and couldn’t help but feel that God, or nature as some prefer to believe, is trying to tell us something.Thinking about the benefits to our environment I came up with:1. Cleaner air caused by fewer vehicles on the road and fewer aircraft in the sky.2. Fewer cars on the roads meaning shorter journey times for our essentials and less frustration as a result.3. The, often obscenely rich, oil producers of the world have seen the price of their product become almost worthless prompting them, perhaps, to reflect on how they have spent their wealth in the past and how they might be more philanthropic in future.4. The Canals of Venice have run clear as a result of the reduced traffic using them.5. The newly hatched turtles of South America and other locations have been safely crossing roads instead of being decimated by the ubiquitous automobile.Adversity often brings out the best in people and this pandemic has been no exception. Examples we all witness are:1. People being extra kind and considerate to each other by observing the lock-down and coming out in the thousands every Thursday evening to applaud the NHS and all key workers.2. Capt. Tom Moore who will be 100 years old tomorrow has inspired enough people by his gritty perambulations to raise over £29 million for the NHS and with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices for Care Choir has achieved a charity Number 1 single. How absolutely and unbelievably brilliant!3. Our appreciation of the beauty of God’s creation has been greatly enhanced by enforced time in our gardens. Whilst our behaviour has had to change, Nature just gets on with what it does best. 4. The number of quizzes being held each week is bound to have increased everyone’s general knowledge. And it is not just quizzes. I learned a new word last week “medicant” thanks to Nick’s reflection on Claire of Assisi.5. People are discovering new skills and things to enjoy. As someone who had never boiled an egg in his life I have discovered the joys of cooking. 6. Church attendances through things like Zoom and Facebook are 10 times higher than actual church attendances before the pandemic. 7. Crime is way down.8. Judging by the number of joggers I see whenever I venture out (for a walk) a lot of people are going to be a lot fitter than before.In short, we have been able to concentrate on the golf balls. I refer to Fr. Terry’s sermon a few months ago when he proceeded to place golf balls, gravel, sand and water into a glass jar. The golf balls represented the important things in life like family and friends and by putting those into the jar first all of the other items fitted in too. When we deal with the gravel, sand and water first, i.e. the smaller more insignificant items, there was no room left in the jar for all of the golf balls.There will be many other benefits that this challenge has brought about and I know not every development has been a good one. However, I feel there is enough good going on to be ultra-positive and to be thankful for our blessings.God bless you all and I look forward to the day when we can all share the Peace in person.John BevingtonP.S. A small though none-the-less significant outcome for an eco-church like St Catherine’s is the paper saving that the Zoom meetings have facilitated. Perhaps it is time to look at some form of IT solution for our services once we return to our beloved Church.
NINTH STATIONJesus Commissions the DisciplesReadingA reading from the Gospel according to John (20.21-23)Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’In this passage Jesus is giving the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples on the day of the resurrection, however it not meant to be a parting gift, just something the remember him by, but an empowerment to be him in the world. St. John in his Gospel assumes that Jesus has already ascended and been glorified by God bypassing the Ascension and as proclaimed in the other gospels and Pentecost as described in the Acts of the Apostles.In this short passage Jesus uses the traditional Jewish greeting “peace be with you”, which John says Jesus had used when he initially came to be with them. However this time he continues with, “as the Father sent me, so I send you”. So we have a greeting and a command, however the command becomes a commission when Jesus breathes on them and says “Receive the Holy Spirit”. To use a contemporary analogy a command might be to go and nurse those sick with the coronavirus and a commission would be and here is the PPE to use.How do we greet each other? Well in the Church we do say “peace be with you” when we share the peace during the Mass, but I doubt if we use that expression at other times. I brought up in Coventry which was a melting pot of people from all over the United Kingdom, refugees from Europe and immigrants from our Commonwealth counties; all drawn by the economic benefits derived from manufacturing industries. I am sure that everybody brought with them their own greetings, but “are you alright?”, shortened to “alright?” seems to be the one that crossed cultures easily. The problem being that it was a question which the enquirer really did not want to hear a negative answer, so that they had to engage in further conversation. The expected answer was “alright” without the question mark. I did not mind this salutation as it was part of my culture but I did get rather annoyed with one young man when I was Vicar of Willenhall who insisted on shouting across the street “alright Vic” - bless him. The marvellous thing about the greeting, “peace be with you”, is that it is a gift, which which is lovely if it is reciprocated, but the gift is retained none the less.Jesus therefore gives his disciples two gifts, firstly his greeting of peace, and secondly his enabling gift of the Holy Spirit, gifts that are then inherited by all believers. In our mixed-up world at the moment we are transfixed by the “R” number. This is the reproductive number of the Covid 19 virus and we are constantly being told that we must get it to be as near to zero as possible. If it is above one the virus will do what viruses want to do, that is to spread and infect as many people as possible. If “R” is below one and hopefully near zero the virus will in time naturally die out and will leave us in peace.Now consider the “E” number – The Evangelization Number. What would have happened if those early disciples had kept the Gospel of the incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection to themselves. Well if they had each only told one person, Christianity would have been a minor religious sect in the Middle-East. However, as we know the Spirit that Jesus gave to those disciples gave them such enthusiasm, that the Gospel spread like a disease. Like a disease, the powers of the state and religion tried their hardest to destroy it by any means possible and Christians were made scapegoats for any and all of the worlds problems. The power of the Spirit was such however that those early Christians were prepared to sacrifice everything to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.Let us hope that when this dreadful Covid 19 had been controlled by getting the “R” number down to near zero and hopefully a vaccine will come to protect us from future outbreaks. Then we as a church can really work on our “E” number and spread the Gospel with the courage and enthusiasm of those first disciples. Remember that you are Christ's disciples now – we have our part to play by staying self-isolated to reduce the “R” number and when we have opportunity to increase the “E” number.Fr. TerrySmile !!!One of the side effects of Covid 19 is that it can put strain on peoples' mental health, which might have been illustrated by President Trump's proclamation about the use of bleach and disinfectant this week.This was sent to me this week, which purports to have come from the pen of Pam Ayres. I have not verified that, but it is funny.At last we have a cure for all!Ailments large and small,Good health is not beyond my reach,If I inject myself with bleach.Radiant, I'll prance along,Every trace of limescale goneWith disinfectant my friend,Like him,I'm clean round the bend.Pam AyresAnd remember do not take anything Donald Trump says too seriously – he might be suffering.
Friday 1st May - The Apostles Philip and JamesOn Jeremy Vine’s BBC Radio 2 weekday programmes well known people from all walks of life are regularly invited to offer their thoughts about ‘What Makes us Human’. Each presents a short reflection about important issues that define the essence of humanity. Every reflection has been insightful and some have helped expand my own thinking and perspectives about what makes us human. For many, our ability to form friendships and to love and care for others is a key issue. Others have emphasised the importance of imagination because imagination can help us reach out beyond our temporal limitations to contemplate and even wrestle with the meaning of life in ways that are deeply personal and spiritual. Well, today we are remembering the apostles Philip and James. We might think of apostles as super-perfect and holy people called by God to live in a state of sanctity but they were people, not unlike us, who experienced doubts and fears and at times questioned their faith and sense of calling. Some of the apostles, according to accounts, were not totally confident in following Jesus because they were fearful about their safety and future and about being persecuted as disciples of Jesus. The apostle Philip was one who did not fully share the confidence and security of faith of of his fellow disciples, according to accounts, but despite his concerns he remained a loyal disciple. He was present at the feeding of the five thousand, preached the gospel in Greece and other countries, and is often represented in religious imagery with his brother Andrew. The apostle James, often referred to as James the Great, was the son of Zebedee and brother of John. James stayed with Jesus throughout his ministry and he was one of Jesus’ closest friends and trusted disciple. He was nevertheless, from some accounts, a somewhat impetuous and hot-tempered disciple (nicknamed ‘son of thunder’) who expressed a level of anger at a Samaritan village for not giving hospitality to Jesus and his disciples. James was one of the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ Transfiguration on the Mount of Olives and his agony in Gethsemane and he was the first of the apostles to be martyred. Life must have been challenging for the apostles as life is and continues to be for many today. Events, hardships, insecurities, fears and doubts about the future can lead us to wrestle with and question our faith but the example of such apostles as Philip and James can help lift us above whatever difficulties and problems disturb us and lessen our ability, willingness and humanness to love and care for one another and live the gospel as people of God. The opposite of faith is not doubt but fear. Love is important because love dispels fear. I think Philip and James knew this and it enabled them, inspired by the Spirit, to trust and believe and get on with the job God called them to do.With love and God bless,The Collect of the day is saidAlmighty Father,whom truly to know is eternal life:teach us to know your Son Jesus Christas the way, the truth, and the life;that we may follow the steps of your holy apostles Philip and James,and walk steadfastly in the way that leads to your glory;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.AllAmen.Fr Graham
Thought for the Day 30th April - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.During this period of self-isolation, we have been blessed with wonderful sunshine. Just think how awful it would have been if we had been confined during the wet, cold, grey days of last winter.Because I have a dog, I walk her round the Hinckley Road Recreation Ground every day. Many people are now out walking for exercise, we are being very circumspect and moving round each other in semi-circles, but I have met and talked to people that I haven't seen for over 20 years.In normal times they would be rushing out of their house, jumping into their cars and driving off without any personal contact. At present, it is more like the way life used to be, when we walked everywhere.When we moved to Burbage in 1962, there was great rivalry between the surrounding villages, particularly between the football and cricket teams. When I told people in Earl Shilton, that we were going to live in Burbage, I was told that nobody would speak to me because they were a snobbish lot there!How wrong they were!Few of us could afford a car in those days and if we did, our husbands used it to get to work! So we women walked from the Three Pots, up to the village shops. The first time I went there, a lady who I had never met before ran across the road by the War Memorial, looked at my baby in the pram, talked to me and welcomed me to Burbage! I later came to know her, Rita Moore! A truly lovely lady who we all miss greatly.What a difference she made to my life here, just by going out of her way to talk to me and make me feel welcome.It has occurred to me over recent days, that over these years of so called progress, that we have lost a very valuable means of communication with each other because we are always rushing here and there.Could something good come out of this coronavirus pandemic?Jesus walked everywhere. He collected his disciples from people he met and talked to, from all walks of life. People walked with Him and talked with Him.What would have happened if the good Samaritan had been rushing by in his car?How many of the 5,000 people who he managed to feed, would have been there to listen to Him, if they had transport?Would Saul have been walking on the road to Damascus?Hopefully, by the time we can all move about again freely, we shall have learned to talk to each other again. So many people have shown kindness and concern for others. They have shopped for us, phoned us, emailed us and talked to us by whatever means are available. Father Andrew has kept us all linked together as a Church by every means available to him. We have had time to appreciate our gardens and to look around at all the wonderful gifts of nature that God has given to us.So maybe some good can come out of this difficult time?We can only pray for this to happen.Pat Robinson
