So this morning I wonder: are we still locked down? Or not quite? Or not quite as much? Today’s newspapers and media are saying that the PM’s speech yesterday has left us all in uncertainty. But it must be horribly difficult for government to manage this Covid-19 crisis and provide clear instructions for everyone. Among the duties of Christian people (says St Paul) is to pray for those in authority, that they may govern wisely. And the prayer for the High Court of Parliament from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 is worth recalling. It asks that: ‘all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours, upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be established among us for all generations.’ Ordered and settled would be good! We can only hope – and pray - that the coming days will see more clarity from government. Meanwhile, I’m remaining steadfastly in lockdown, and turning my attention to the bookshelves.
What began with mere vanity – I wanted the shelves behind my desk to look smart when I was on Zoom or Skype! – has now become a more serious endeavour. There’s no more bookshelf room, and somehow books need to be reduced in number. What can go? Whose ideas and imagination can I dispense with? Which parts of my past life can I put aside? It’s not an easy one….
Fr John