Macbeth

Birthday tomorrow - 59... big one next year. So time maybe for a thoughful posting..... 

This evening I got home from a school governors' meeting. heated up my chorizo soup and flicked on the TV. I've caught a few programmes in the season the BBC is running called "Shakespeare Uncovered". This evening American actor Ethan Hawke was taking us through "Macbeth", illustrated by bits of various productions. It was really good, and somehow connected me to my birthday.

Why is Shakespeare so good? I did English Lit O Level and A Level. We did "The Tempest" and then "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I have to say that, like many people, I didn't really "get it" then, and I suspect that puts off many people for life. I know it's a bit of a cliche, but I realy think you don't "get" the greatness of Shakespeare until you've lived. As I watched Lady Macbeth disintegrate I recalled a prisoner doing exactly that in front of me when I was prison chaplain. As Hawke pointed out that Macbeth and his wife never meet on stage for the last part before her death, my mind went to the hundreds of family problems I've encountered, not least with my Marriage Tribunal work now. Time and again these plays poke a finger right into my life, and life in general.

And it's not just the great tragedies - although I think they are the pinnacle of Shakespeare. He puts life in all its aspects up there on the stage, in all its comedy and tragedy. It's simply all there, and as the programme said this evening, WS then turns round to us and says, "Look, that's you and me up there, too".

So, 59 tomorrow, 59 years into Shakespeare, 59 years into life.     

From Winefride to David

Lovely programme on the Beeb this evening - "Britain's Lost Routes", with Griff Rhys Jones. I caught part of an earlier episode, crossing Scotland on the drovers' road, and this one was even better. It followed the ancient pilgrims' route across Wales from the north-east to St David's in the southwest.

A climb up from the old port of Greenfield brings you to Holywell, where I visited in 2007. It's the only shrine in Britain (I think) continuously visited through from the Middle Ages. The freezing waters of St Winefride's Well bubble up in a beautiful two storey medieval shrine (left) marking where her head miraculously rejoined the rest of her body after an attempted murder... 

The route then heads over the Clwydian Range to Ruthin, and onwards along Lake Bala and over a stunning pass, Bwlch y Groes (Pass of the Cross) to the Dovey valley and Aberystwyth. Down the coast then to where the various pilgrim routes converged at Nevern, and on to the destination - St David's. Two pilgrimages there was worth one to Rome.

I love my homeland Wales, the hills, lakes, castles, churches, cliffs, sea, the green and the grey. And that includes the South, too, where I live - not that I'm biased, of course...  

The programme is excellent - beautiful photography, interesting group of "pilgrims" and Griff in his, I think, more mellow later style. Great stuff. Fr M approves. You can catch it here on iPlayer.

Two days

Boy, am I relieved. Thursday saw the biggest ever meeting of our National Tribunal for Wales. Our main task is the processing of applications for the annulment of marriages, and we concluded seven cases and gave serious discussion to three more. Each case requires three judges, so it was all hands on deck.  This required the cooperation of all our canon law judges from across Wales, each involved in at least three cases. So we met in England! In Shrewsbury to be exact - becase it's easier by rail, OK?

I was out of the house 7.30am and got back 7.30pm, my head full of legal stuff and feeling a bit worse for wear. Fr David, our administrator, had done a great job in planning the day, getting all the right documents to the right people etc, and technically it all went off fine. However, as Judicial Vicar (ie boss), I carry the can, and so I'm always mightily relieved when the deed - or ten deeds in this case - are done. There just remains the, er, small task of translating into "sentences" ie written documents the arguments that we used to reach the decision we made in the four where I was presiding judge. However, having made and heard all the relevant points, that's not so hard.

Today, something completely different - a lovely five hours with 25 or so of our wonderful Eucharistic Ministers on their periodic day of recollection. We went off to the Ty Croeso Centre at Llantarnam Abbey outside Newport, and had a relaxing time. Only the weather spoilt it - the ground are beautiful but only a few brave souls ventured far... I did a talk in the morning before a period for quiet reflection, after lunch we had a "plenary" to share reflections and discuss issues of interest, then Fr T led an Holy Hour to finish. 

Two very different days, two days apart, one church, one priest.  

The Commonweath sings

A massive p.s. to my last posting. I didn't mention one of the best things on TV over the Jubilee long weekend - "Gary Barlow:On Her Majesty's Service".  I only just caught up with it on iPlayer. What a lovely programme, the story of the making of "Sing", the Jubilee song that we heard at the Buckingham Palace concert on the Monday evening.
Gary Barlow turns out to be an excellent guide to the process of putting together the song with Andrew Lloyd-Webber, and then travelling the Commonwealth to add music from all sorts of different cultures. He is just so excited by music, and feels the raw attraction of people who play and sing because they simply want to.. Girls singing in Kenya, lads drumming on old rubbish in  a Nairobi slum, an aboriginal singer, Solomon Islanders... all sorts. I found myself really drawn in - even by Prince Harry allowed two bashes on a  tambourine.

If you want an enjoyable hour, well-produced, and guided so well by Gary B. "The Commonwealth is massive - I mean massive-massive" he muses. And how much better the song sounds when you learn its story. Catch it here on iPlayer.

The long weekend

So, the Queen's Jubilee is over. I started to watch the Thames bit, but I found I got bored - partly becaus eit was, um, a load of boats on teh river.and partly because I thought the BBC's coverage was not up to much. Like my paper said, they seemed to treat it as only entertainment, with riverside semi-celebs making mostly inane comments...

The Buck House concert I watched from beginning to end, and enjoyed quite a lot of it. Robbie wanted to entertain us. Our Tom did OK I thought, our Shirl belted out "Diamonds Are For Ever", of course. Grace Jones was... Grace Jones. "I Gotta Feeling" didn't quite work for will.i.am. Elton n Macca are getting on. The visuals on Madness' "Our House" were astonishing (see pic). Ed Sheeran did very well, just him and his guitar. The Macca-led climax was good, and then the BBC ran their titles over the fireworks!  Anyway, on the whole I enjoyed. 

Missed the service but caught the carriage ride n balcony wave, which I found moving really - simply the Queen and her people, respect and, yes, love.

Meanwhile, "The Apprentice" on Sundaye evening. I'm still a fan on this the eighth series. People said there were no nasties this year and it was boring. The most interesting thing was the gradual change in Ricky, the eventual winner - a genuine journey of self-discover I hope.

Meanwhile - up to my neck in Canon Law work at the moment as Thursday 14th is T for Tribunal day, when all the judges of the National Tribunal for Wales are meeting at Shreswbury to decide 9 annulment applications. Yes, I know it isn't in Wales - but it's good for the train connections...  So I have to write opinions on four of the cases, each of which has three judges. 

So, the Queens, the Apprentices and the Judges - weird mixture, but just a week for your humble pp blogger. Oh, and there is the small matter of four funerals to be organized over the next two weeks, and our 3 Churches Mass, and... and...

Sandra's smile

What a pleasant surprise! Fr T and I were just out for our fairly regular Saturday pub lunch. We were at the local Ty Glas, where we had two different styles of chicken. Fr T said that the lady behind me was smiling at us every so often... uhuh, I thought...

When I eventually looked round I realised that the lady in question was someone I knew 30 years ago when I was curate at St Francis of Assisi, and one of my responsibilities was to be chaplain at Ely Hospital. This was home to 650+ residents with learning disabilities, and very often physical ones too. Sitting behind me was Sandra, one of the residents that I knew best. Always smiling and warm on my ward visits, Sandra was a regular at the Sunday afternoon service, which I took on a rota with the Anglican and Baptist chaplains.

When I asked her if she remembered me, she buried her face in shyness. Her carer nodded to me that this gesture meant that she did. A few minutes later, after we had finished our meal, I asked her again, and she gave me the most wonderful smile and managed a warm "Yes!" She remembered our services and one or two other residents I mentioned.

Ely Hospital had been the subject of a ground-breaking enquiry in the late 60s, after a visitor made allegations of bad treatment via the "News of the World". It revealed cases of men and women locked up there for over 50 years in some cases, and led to a revolution in the care of people like Sandra, not only in Ely but throughout the British healthcare system.  

How wonderful to be instantly transported back 30 years and to once again enjoy the transcendent smile of Sandra, now free as a bird in the community, enjoying her pub lunch... next to me.

Picture shows the social area where I used to have a cuppa with Sandra and others after the service. 

Circling Doves

My goodness - a whole week since I posted. It must be the hot weather that suddenly arrived...  or just more sacraments and good stuff church-wise.

We had a great celebration of Pentecost weekend this year. At 6 o'clock Saturday evening in St Paul's, young Gabrielle made her first Holy Communion. She had missed out at the "proper time" and this is her normal Mass, so I was delighted to agree to it. She was beaming in her lovely special dress, and it made a great beginning to the Feast.

Back in St Paul's next morning the Children's Liturgy made an Olympic Torch with multi-coloured tissue paper flames pouring from it, and combined it with the theme of the Holy Spirit - very clever and inspirational. 

Back at St Brigid's for 10.30, we were baptising/receiving/confirming four new Catholics - a family of three and another lady. It was such a joyful occasion and the singing was particularly good - Spirit-led, I'm sure!  After a celebratory lunch at the 3 Arches (local hostelry), it was back over to St Paul's for a traditional Roary-Sermon-Benediction for May/Pentecost. Quieter, but just as beautiful.

Then back again to St Brigid's for a pause for breath before a Youth Mass at 6. Clare and her team had pulled in a particularly large number of young folks to take part, especially in teh music group - I thought it was fantastic, and got them clapping along at the last hymn. Such fine young Catholics, and such great hope for the future - bless them all. 

I rounded off the Feast of the Holy Spirit with an hour or two with our Sunday Prayer Group, which was fizzing too - we all prayed with one another, and I had a kind of mental picture not of flames separating, but of one Dove kind of splitting into many, circling over us all, one for each person.

Keep circling, Holy Spirit, as You did this weekend...

Sacraments and more

So we've come to the end of our sacramental three weeks, with two Confirmations and three First Holy Communions. Everything went well, ending with the kids of St Brigid's and St Paul's making their Communion yesterday. Several people were kind enough to say nice thimgs about my homily for the children, and how I was able to talk with them. While I am very, very used to Mass with children - for 34 years! - I forget that most people don't experience children's Masses, so aren't familar with the wonderful, alive quality that they can bring. Personally I love Mass with kids. Fantastic.

Onwards and upwards, as they say. Planning started this evening for our 3 Churches Mass on Sunday 8th July at 11am in Corpus Christi High School. It's going to focus on the sacraments, and especially on those who have received them this year. Lots more to come on this - watch this space!  Thursday I'm meeting with Archbishop George and a few others to discuss youth ministry in the archdiocese, but before that I'm off to Llantwit Major tomorrow evening to give a talk, and then interviews on Wednesday for the dputy head job at Christ the King Primary School. 

Meanwhile I have to read, absorb and write my opinion on three Canon law cases for a National Tribunal meeting on 14th June.

So on a lighter note here's a great picture someone posted on Facebook - very good, hahaha. (Thanks to Viv)

Group dynamics

Time for a video. I came across this little Pixar gem - you may have seen it.

You can apply its message to loads of situations, and then work out who is who in that setting. Anyway - enjoy a midweek little something!

Come what May

Busy May continues, with more Confirmations at St Brigid's on Tuesday, and more First Holy Communions at Christ the King today. Funerals are also sadly very much in the air too.

The daughter of a gentleman whose funeral was this week turned out to be part of a crowd of girls that I used to, er, know, in my teens. Yes, priests are human, and, yes, I did have a couple of girlfriends in those days. So there was a bit of "where are they now" chat...

And then there's Agnes who died in the early hours of Friday. A much loved parishioner of Christ the King, she had suffered a lot over the last period, and was wonderfully looked after by Cath, her daughter. They both have been regulars at our Sunday evening prayer group, and Agnes was a great lady and Christian. I'll miss her a lot, and so will the parish and many within it.

Good reports continue to come in about "Celebrate" last weekend, and my opening talk on Saturday morning seems to have gone down well. 

Fr T has taken the first half of his summer break starting today, so I'm on my own for just under a fortnight. It's a mixed blessing. On the one hand I like having someone else around - but on the other I can now play my music loud! Fr T is a quietish chap and I don't like to blast him with my music, so usually it's very good headphones that a considerate couple in the parish gave me a few years ago as a present.

Tomorrow I'm off to Ledbury in the evening to give the first of a series of talks they're having in the parish, something I'll also be doing in Llantwit Major next week. Then, after another funeral on Tuesday and my Fraternity of Priests on Wednesday, on Thursday I'll be chairing the diocesan Council of Priests with the Archbishop. I suppose it all keeps me young and beautiful! 

So much to "Celebrate"

I had a chill-out day today, after megabusy Sunday for Fr T and me. So this morning we took ourselves off for a quiet visit to Llantwit Major, one of my favourite spots, even in the rain. After a little while spent at St Illtud's ancient church (detail of one of the ancient stones left), we dashed through the drizzle across to the Eagle for lunch. Long wait, but a very tasty steak 'n' ale pie filled me up. As we drove home via Cowbridge, the Vale was only glimpsable through the showers, but it was oh so very green.

Anyway, on Thursday Archbishop Stack visited Christ the King for our first Confirmation since he came to Cardiff. I was very impressed, especially with the spirituality of the occasion and the personal attention he gave to each candidate at the laying on of hands and the anointing. He's back tomorrow for the slightly larger group from St Brigid's and St Paul's.

The next day, I had a very interesting phone conversation about youth ministry, about which I can't say anything yet, as I have several irons in this particular fire.

Finally - there was "Celebrate" at Corpus Christi. Wow. What a wonderful weekend. I enjoyed everything, and I wasn't even present for almost half of the time! The teaching, the youth activities and especially the music and the general atmosphere were really great. I found myself welling up a bit on several occasions - sometimes with the worship, but a few times as I watched parishioners getting really involved and uplifted. Two local musicians joined Ronan Johnston's band - and both were from from our 3 Churches! Proud parish priest... I only wish more folks could share the gifts that these wonderful weekends bring to our faith and our Church. And I had another networking conversation about youth ministry with someone who is a real expert. Watch this space...

Unfortunately I couldn't find Ronan's music  on the net very much, but here are 2 songs that we sang at "Celebrate". First - "Let's not go back to Egypt" had everybody clapping, waving  and generally jumping about. The video is of him playing it 2 years ago at another event at Walsingham, where the congregation were not as lively as ours this weekend!. Then, I have Ronan's setting of St Patrick's breatsplate, which  was equally uplifting in a slightly calmer way.
Fr M approves of "Celebrate". Bigtime.

In search of Mary

Busy and exciting week... that I will post about in a day or two. Meanwhile here's my parish newsletter front page, with the image of Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn in Vilnius, and the Celebrate Conference banner that is presiding over our wonderful weekend (thanks to Peter Z for pic).

I seem to have followed Our Lady across many countries. On various pilgrimages and trips I have visited various of her shrines, from Penrhys to Nazareth, from Our Lady of the Cape in Quebec, Canada, to the “Gates of Dawn” in Vilnius, Lithuania.

This month we particularly honour Mary, the Mother of God. How much she, too, must have rejoiced in the heady days after the Resurrection of her Son. At Calvary she was given a new family, indeed a new Body of Christ, the Church. Weeks later the Holy Spirit forged that Church in the fire of God’s presence, on the day of Pentecost. The new Body needed a Mother, and so, of course, we are told she, too, waited with the apostles, just as Jesus had instructed.

Her story is one of constant availability to God our Father. It was that faith which enabled her to readily accept the unique role given her by the message of Gabriel. Artists often depict the Annunciation happening while she was reading the Jewish Bible, the Old Testament. This symbolises both her deep faith in God’s Word, and the fact that at that moment the Word becomes flesh in her womb – it, or rather He, literally jumps off the page!

So this woman of constant availability to God continues to be God’s instrument in various places across the world, from the universally famous, like Lourdes, to the more local, like our own Penrhys, on the mountain between the two Rhondda valleys. Sometimes she seems to bring a message, as at Fatima, for example, other times the message is in the vision as it was at one of my favourites, Knock in Ireland. At all times she comes with a mother’s love and concern for her family.

It is important to remember that not one of the claimed messages is essential to our faith, not even Lourdes. When the Church “approves” an apparition it is simply stating that we see no reason to doubt that on such-and-such a day or days, this person or persons witnessed an appearance of Our Blessed Lady, full stop. To say anything definitively positive about a message would be to make that message essential to our faith, equal to Scripture and Tradition.

So it was not the Catholic Church that chose Mary, it was God. This month, how will you honour the one who was so honoured by God? Perhaps it is time to rediscover the Rosary, the Memorare and the other great prayers. Have you been to Penrhys or Our Lady of the Taper, in Cardigan, the National Shrine of Wales? Do you have her image in your home? May... the month of Our Lady.

Talking heads

Fr Christopher Jamison OSB is in town. He is Director of the National Office for Vocation, and is spending this week in Wales. Yesterday evening he celebrated Mass at our Cathedral, and today he spoke to leaders of our Catholic secondary schools at St David's College in our parishes' area. So I went along to hear what he had to say and to encounter such an eminent gang of. er, talking heads.

I'm glad to say that, on the whole, I found him, and them, impressive. He asked the heads how they saw the Catholic ethos of their schools, and how it shows itself. Then - why do they do what they do? Next, his own talk centred around a proposal to rethink the curriculum in the light of the Catholic ethos, and not just see it as a "bolt on". It was all very stimulating, to hear a notable Catholic speaker and meet with a group of lay Catholics of huge influence for the present and future Church. Tomorrow he addresses the clergy, also, conveniently for me, at St David's College. Catch Fr Chris's project - a National Vocations Framework - here. PS I'm indebted to David  head of our local Corpus Christi High School, for my punny title!

Next - a little blog news. April has seen The Canon's Stall reach new heights in visits. According to Sitemeter, we received more than 2,000 page visits in April for the first time. This excludes my own visits and people who see the current posting on the parish website www.3churches.org, so the real total is higher. It's been a slow and steady increase over the last three years. Thanks, surfers!

Lastly a Fr M weird video entry. Talking about schools, colleges, vocations etc, what is it about young people? I would not do what these Russian youngsters do for a zillion quid, and I don't think I would have done so at their age either. It's a strangely compelling piece, filmed by one of the participants, but comes with a health warning. It may be not a good idea to watch after a good meal!

Easter moments

Fr T and I are just coming to the end of a week when we have celebrated three Masses for the deceased. On Monday it was a Mass of the Angels for Seren, a tiny baby, yesterday it was Requiem for Maureen, a lady of 89 years, and today I celebrated a Memorial Mass for Jacques, a young man of 24. These three Masses have been completely different, in that the age range has been 89 years. But all of them have been about proclaiming Easter and its effect on each and every individual, of no matter what age.

As priests we are so privileged to be alongside both the dying and the bereaved. We are invited to be part of people's lives at even such a sensitive time. The loss of a baby, the loss of a sister who left Ireland and gave her life to nursing, the loss of a son - these are moments of pain and loss. Yet how inspiring are the People of God. Somehow, somehow, we must live through these moments, and we reach out for one another and for God. Jesus' invitation to Thomas a week after Easter - "Give me your hand" - is nowhere more poignant than at times like these.

Jacques father spoke this morning of how much his son had wanted to be like his father, whereas he, his father, so much wanted to be like his son. These and similar insights, are scattered liberally through bereavment and I try receive and treasure them with great attention and humility. 

So thankyou families, for your love, your faith and your hope. You often say kind words to us after a funeral, but it is really us who should be thanking you.

Easter through music

Two more videos I've recently come across that capture Easter as a reality now. The church is always reminding us that we are Easter people, and I believe that the Resurrection can come to us and touch us in many, many different ways.

So here first is Easter via music. Music is one of my great loves, from listening to my Mum playing the piano and my Dad whistling, via singing in the Cathedral choir, to my large collection of Cds and, more recently i-Tunes stuff. Do watch until the end, and Henry's wonderful comments on what music means to him.

Next, more Resurrection-through-music, this time a song by an American I'm afraid I haven't heard of before, Jason Gray. It's called "Remind Me Who I Am", and is illustrated by a striking video. Mary Magdalen recognised the Easter Jesus when he called her by her name. He calls all of us, and our deepest identity is to be beloved by his Father - and ours. We all need to be reminded who we are. Fr M approves these videos bigtime. Enjoy.

Celebrating Easter! Ahem...

Been a while since I did any Fr M reviews of eateries aroud these parts. What reminded me was I realised yesterday I had had lunch out four times in a week. So here goes...

Easter Monday I was invited by friends in the parish to join them for a daytrip to eastern Monmouthshire. It hadn't rained for several weeks, so we knew it was a Bank Holiday because it was pouring. However we set off, getting as far as the pretty village of .Grosmont, with its castle and church with an eight-sided tower. Catch the village website here.

So lunchtime comes and ye olde pub, the Angel is SHUT. It was one of the first in Britain to be bought by the villagers and prides itself on being a VILLAGE pub, so I don't know if that means it's shut on a day when OUTSIDERS are likely to visit... Anyway, an open sign outside Gentle Jane's Tearooms attracted us, and we decamped a few yards down the street there. Lovely! Opened under new management just three days previously, they were anxious to impress, and were attracting local custom as well as visitors - a good sign. I had a Ploughman's with three tasty cheeses and good helpings. Gentle Jane? Fr M approves.

We've got roof/ceiling/electrics problems in Christ the King Church, and the bishop's office suggested we check out what they have done in the similarly-dated Catholic Church in Ledbury. This was where I was parish priest 1983-1986, so I know it well. Current pp Richard was wonderfully helpful in telling myself and three parishioners all about the excellent work they have done to their buildings, and left us with loads to think about. But soon it was lunchtime, so I took a risk on suggesting to the gang that we head for one of my old 1980s haunts - the Farmers Arms at Wellington Heath. Lunching out was not yet so popular in those days, but the Farmers was always packed, and it was there I learned to love trout. But twenty-five years is a long time... Well it's still there, rather quieter, but delightfully un-tidied-up, if you know what I mean. One of our group thought it was fabulous, two were quietish, but it grew on me, and I love a bit of nostalgia. The service warmed up after a while, but I wasn't too hungry so I had a chorizo ciabatta panino. I have to say the chorizo would have been transparent if it had been sliced any thinner, but I enjoyed the old place in its village setting with lovely view of a quiet valley. Fr M approves - just.

Fr T and I often pop out for a quickie pub lunch on Saturday, yet we'd never hit one of our two nearest places, so this week we popped into the Ty Glas, and had a very respectable All Day Breakfast. The place was half empty, tables slightly sticky, furniture just a tad tired, and had piped pop music, but with the common two for £10 or so, who's arguing? Fr M approves - at a push.

And so we come to Sunday. I was baptising an adult, David, at 9 o'clock Mass at St Paul's, and was invited to the celebration lunch later, at a recent Portuguese addition to Cardiff's restaurant scene, Almada, in Canton. Now you're talking... Opened by former staff of Casanova, the popular Italian restaurant in the city centre, I really liked this place. Thirteen of us settled down to scrummy nibbles while I waited for my salted cod fritters, or as we call them pasteis de bacalhau. Just enough to get the old taste buds going, in time for my Entremeada com lomba de porco - pork belly and tenderloin with chorizo mashed potatoes etc... heaven. Some scrummy Portuguese version of pannacotta with some crazily tasty orange stuff finished it all off, and with a drop or two of Portuguese wine and liqueur, it almost finished me off too, especially as I was due to celebrate six o'clock Mass, and got back at approx. 5.10...  Almada's already in at number 9 in TripAdvisor's list of Cardiff restaurants, but who cares? What really matters is that Fr M approves - a lot.

I wouldn't want you to think that your humble blogger spends all his time out at lunch - it was a very uncharacteristic week. However, I have to say that I enjoy sharing a meal with friends, parishioners or my trusty fellow-worker here. What could be more pleasant? Thanks friends, thanks Gentle Jane's, Farmers, Ty Glas and Almada.

Dolan and the dove

Cardinal Timothy Dolan continues to hit the spot with his preaching at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York. First, here he is at the Chrism Mass on the need to anoint the Church, the "bleeding, broken, mystical Body of Christ." Next, a very impressive but very simple homily for Good Friday showing what can be done with a "formula" type sermon. Lastly - a great word for Easter itself on the Living Jesus.

Now for the more visually minded, one of my favourite Catholic rituals, the "Scoppio del Carro". It happens in Florence after Easter morning Mass, when the Cardinal at the altar ignites a burning bird that flies down the cathedral on a  wire and sets off a firework display ouitside in the square. Here is an official newscast about it, in Italian I'm afraid but you'll get the idea.

Now here is the same thing filmed I think by a mobile phone from outside the cathedral - watch out for that dove flying out of the doors low over the heads of the crowd!

A new Creation

For Easter I wanted to find images that just spoke of everything beautiful, everything good, everything positive and resurrection-filled. I thought of this stunning picture taken at the flower market in Aix-en-Provence on our pilgrimage last September, and I thought of this happy picture of my nephew Gareth and his wife of eight months Sara. I know the pictures don't show Jesus, at least not explicitly. But St Paul says that in the Resurrection we have a new creation. Well, if the flowers of the old one are this beautiful, what must you and I, the new creation really be like? And surely the happiness of committed love is a direct reflection and expression of Easter joy.  

A very Happy Easter to everyone - and thanks for the pictures, Paul and Gareth and Sara.

O my people, what have I done to you?

Our Holy Week services are going well, thank the Lord. I was at Christ the King yesterday evening for the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Twelve feet were duly washed - actually fourteen, because two people stuck out both of their feet for me to do... Then we processed into the Parish Centre for the Watching. Our wonderful flower ladies had made a beautiful shrine for the Blessed Sacrament, and, with the lights dimmed, there was a very spiritual and reverent atmosphere. 

This afternoon I was back here at St Brigid's, for a very full church. Once again, I read the Passion myself, which people seem to appreciate. The Cross was carried by three of our teenage candidates for Confirmation. I always love the Veneration, watching our parish family venerate our crucified Lord. The old approach with such love, and often such pain too. The children approach with that mixture of simplicity and understanding which is theirs. One little boy just stood there looking at this huge lump of wood, but seemed to "get it" anyway...

So here for Good Friday is the music I used for the five minutes before the Liturgy started.

Oh, really?

Here's something I wrote for the Christ the King parish magazine "The Link" which came out on Sunday...

As I write, it’s two days into the final of “Masterchef” on the telly. Andrew, Shelina and Tom are fighting it out to win the culinary crown. Judges John Torrode and Greg Wallace put them through their kitchen paces, which this year included a trip to Thailand. “Cooking”, they tell us, “doesn’t get any harder than this.” The editing is fast and modern, and the crowning glory is the commentary of the “Narrator”, India Fisher. Her husky and luscious tones seem to elevate this cooking competition into the stratosphere of spirituality, where you can imagine her narrating the Last Judgement itself. “And now, Fr Matthew faces his greatest challenge ever...”

Reality TV has swept all before it over recent years from “Big Brother” onwards. Most of the programmes I have never seen, but I will own up to, um, one or two early series of “BB”, some episodes of “I’m a Celebrity”, and, especially for Saturday evening flopping, “X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent”, though both of those two have gone down the plughole I think. “The Apprentice” is still not to be missed and back soon, and I’ll be trying to catch that... and there’s “Masterchef”.

What is it with reality TV? Certainly we like to see people squirm, however manipulated they and we are by producers and editors. We scoff at contestants’ mistakes and foolishness, and maybe assume that we could do better. In one way, it is reality, but in another way it’s not – its bubble-wrapped, marketed and well-aimed at us. Andrew, Shelina and Tom rise up from being obvious amateurs to semi-stars - at least for a few weeks. We don’t always like our reality too real, do we? We like some distance between us and it, so that we can feel comfortable, or disengage, as and when we feel like.

So, welcome to Holy Week and Easter, when God-made-man takes on hatred, evil, suffering and death with sacrifice, commitment, forgiveness and love – and wins.  In the Holy week services this and much more is presented and celebrated with us, for us and by us. And just in case we try to put that little bit of distance between ourselves and these deepest parts of reality, welcome to Holy Week - with its dirty feet washed, its garden of tears, nails of pain and empty tomb. And we will partake of it with palm leaves in our hands, bread-become-body in our stomachs, its rough wood on our lips, and waxy candles lit from blazing fires and held tight.  Sight, touch, taste, sound and even smell all tell us. This really is reality, and you cannot escape from it. It did, and does, all really happen, we are all really here and we are all really saved.

A happy and really good Easter!

Fr Matthew