“Let the love of God find its home in you”
I have received some positive feedback from my piece last week which is always helpful. There is a consistent theme in the reflections. Many years ago I received an award as I was leaving a parish, from a person that I valued very much. It has helped me to keep a positive focus. Always “so far, so good”. The alternative being “so far, so bad”, this is to be avoided full stop.
The coronavirus remains a huge influence and affects all our lives. All that I have written since the beginning of lockdown is in response to provide a way ahead. It remains a very difficult time with much distress. Growing up on a farm with some involvement in the construction industry, has taught me what is most important for the best outcome. In the building world the foundation and the footings, in farming the preparation of the ground. The outcome is summed up “by their fruits you shall know them”.
Good trees, bear good fruit. At this difficult time the words reasonable and responsible are being very tested. The directions that are given with the best intentions for our health and safety are important. That is why I try to give them serious consideration. The “Litmus Test – “by their fruits you shall know them”. When we were first in the seminary, with philosophy and theology as corner stones to our study. One of the early ideas that caught my attention was the importance attached to the phrase “the exception proves the rule”. Unfortunately some of our rules have been so poor that they do not survive that test. The fear being that if you make an exception it becomes the new rule. This has certainly been a great factor in our application of the rules (Dominic Cummings incident, certainly had a great effect on this).
“Responsibility” is a constant consideration. Reason and reasonableness goes hand and glove with it. The amount of health and social issues highlight the success or the failure of the rules in place. This remains a work in progress. It is helpful to have a point on the horizon to aim for. Christmas will begin to appear during the coming weeks. Let us pray very sincerely that this will be a fruitful time and that the love of God finds its home in us, and may the love of God find its home in me.
To be continued……………