FROM FR. MARCUS

Philip and James, Apostles.

My dear Friends,

The only point in having a plan is to make God laugh!

Can’t remember who said that, but we have all had to throw all of our plans away, and miss out on the things we were really looking forward to.

It seems somewhat ironic that tomorrow we will be allowed out for a walk, as long as it is only for an hour, and is within a 1km radius of our home, and we only go with a family member. The Irony is that on Monday, Sandra and I, and our friend Sheila were supposed to be in Porto, to walk the Portuguese  Camino to Santiago, to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Today being his feast day, is teasing me a little.

We had been looking forward to this for so long, and the idea of pilgrimage is something that means such a lot to us in different ways.

I personally will miss the rhythm of each day, the focus on the journey, the spiritual reflection as we contemplate the intention of each day. We will all miss the joy of being together, the wonderful thrill of seeing new places, meeting new people and trying new things, and every step taking us closer to the Cathedral in Santiago.
We have done two major stages already, and have loved every minute of it. Absolutely! But for the moment, this trip is not to be. Rather I shall be walking in circles around the block.

But another time, and we can have the joy of looking forward to it again.

So, today, instead, we can contemplate the spiritual journey that our soul has experienced during lockdown.
The practice of our faith has been very different. No public worship, but perhaps more time in personal prayer. Less hearing sermons, but perhaps more videos, or podcasts. Less fellowship, but perhaps more contact with family and friends via social media. No Bible study, but perhaps more personal reading. Less busyness, and possibly more time just to be.

I don’t want to just paint a rosy picture, pretending that everyone has been fine, but I don’t want us to lose sight of the opportunities that the changes to our plans have created. 
Many of us have been on the receiving end of a great deal of kindness, and we have had the space to put things into a new perspective. We have had time to think.

None of us know quite what the future will hold, or what the new normal will be. We will see what happens as we slowly emerge from being at home, to finding a new path, and take tentative steps on our ongoing spiritual journey. All we know for sure is that we don’t know much, and that paves the way for adventure!

Bless you, stay safe, and tread lightly.

As ever,

Fr Marcus