A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning - still no rain. I’m going to take a gamble and plant some turnips. My shallots seem to be doing ok

A comical little lesson from the Desert Fathers:

A young brother asked one of the elders, saying:

’There are two brothers, of whom one remains praying in his cell, fasting six days at a time doing a great deal of penance. The other one takes care of the sick. Which one’s work is more pleasing to God?’

The elder replied:

‘If the that brother who fasts six days at a time were to hang himself up by the nose, he could not equal the one who takes care of the sick.’

And so we remember in our prayer today all those who care for the sick and all our frontline workers:

Joseph, Lisa, Patrick, Chris, Catherine, Anne, Terry, Mark, Theo, Clare, Richard, Anthony, Jane, James, Andrew, Mary, Francis, Ruth, Tony, Sue, Dan, Fiona, Katy

Some more books on our reading list:

God is good for you - Greg Sheridan - a lesson for our times

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse - Charlie Mackesy

The Hilary Mantel trilogy about Thomas Cromwell: - be warned, they are ‘big books'

Wolf Hall

Bring up the bodies

The mirror and the light

The Island - Victoria Hislop  - about a leper colony on a Greek island

I had my tutorial on Zoom last night. There are a few lessons to hand on:

1. If Zoom asks you to update, then do so - there are more security features

2. I will mute everyone, except the readers

3. Please turn your own video off

4. Let’s gather earlier than usual, so we can start Mass on time and I can lick the room from unwanted intruders

Thank you to those who have volunteered for church cleaning and hospitality when we have a partial lifting of the lockdown - whenever that might be and whatever form it might take. There is space for more volunteers.

Rosary and Benediction on Zoom at 3.00pm today

Please continue to stay safe

St Joseph, patron of those who are sick, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John