“These are the trials by which we triumph through the power of Him who loves us”. I am receiving help to prepare a letter from some persons from our leaven group at St George’s. This will be sent out to members of our parish. This gives me a chance to say thank you to them and to all who have helped me through the years. Also to acknowledge how reliant I am upon receiving that help. One of the fruits from the pandemic, is a deeper awareness of the solid foundation that our faith is built upon.
Returning to our first lockdown in March, when a stringent isolation process helped me to focus clearing upon our churches liturgy. From the end of Lent, giving the Holy Season my fullest attention; on through Holy Week, then the celebration of the Ascension and the great promise of Pentecost . This promise “I am with you always”, this was so well echoed by Springwatch. The great challenge that will be ours, when we climb our way out from the grief caused by the pandemic, there will be a great challenge from global warming that will be the consequences of human greed and exploitation. For our church this may be more drastic, as we have experienced a great loss of credibility.
I keep returning to a privileged time when I was in the seminary in the late sixties. The second Vatican Council had ended and one professor in particular, together with all of us in the seminary, was inspired with the spirit of the council. It reflected a time of great hope, but the seeds for the opposite to happen were deeply ingrained. So the fact that the seminaries have emptied is a very important consideration and sets the scene for life following on from the coronavirus.
Again, the great assurance “I am with you always”. We are deeply and unconditionally loved by the living God. Our sure hope, our sure foundation, and our sure point of reference as we continue our journey of faith. Let us have love one for another.