Category:Uncategorized

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel John 10:22-30. 

“The prayers of Catholics around the world will be that the universal shepherd can lead his flock to safe pasture.” Mark Easton, BBC commentator.

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, due to the Gospel passage in John where Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)  and refers to his flock of followers. He also calls himself the gate to the sheepfold, the one who protects the sheep from bandits and thieves, putting himself in possible danger for their sake. 

This year, my neighbour’s small flock has given her ten Torddu lambs, the Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep that are so attractive. Recently moving them to fresh pasture, all Mary had to do was open the gate of their field and walk through it as she called them. The flock followed, its trust in her clear, and a ewe with her two lambs which were frantically calling each other after they had become separated were able to be reunited. Peace then reigned for a while and this good shepherd could have a rest!

Peace was mentioned nine times in the words of the new shepherd of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Leo XIV, as he addressed the crowds from the Vatican balcony after his election this week. He emerged traditionally robed like Benedict, wearing a similar red mozzetta (short cape) and the same ornate stole bearing golden images of the four Gospel writers, but speaking like Francis who wore simple white robes at his first appearance. In doing so, Leo may have already been building bridges with the traditional and progressive wings of the church, beginning to fulfill the calling in his title pontiff meaning bridge-builder. His chosen name also reflected this as his predecessor Leo l was instrumental in persuading Attila the Hun in the fifth century not to attack Rome, with Brother Leo also being a close companion of Francis of Assisi and Leo XIII prioritising diplomacy and social issues in his pontificate. Leo is also the name for a lion, king of the jungle, linked with authority, leadership and courage – Leo XIV will need all this and more as he sets out on the challenging times ahead. With this Pope’s experience of community as an Augustinian friar and his stated belief in synodality, walking and working with colleagues under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he will not be alone in his task and, as his colleague, Very Revd Anthony Pizzo, observed, “We are in hopeful space.”

Abundant hope is the theme of Christian Aid Week which begins today, highlighting Guatemala where, in the Alta Verapaz region, 90% of the population live in poverty. Christian Aid is partnered there with Congcoop, an organisation providing training and resources for communities to develop crop production in the face of climate change and economic need. The work created and the practical skills learned can change lives and communities – hope becomes a living reality and not just a possibility. 

May it be so for those in Guatemala, in the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglicanism too as the next Archbishop of Canterbury is discerned. May it be so for us, too, and the flocks for which we hold responsibility or of which we are a part, whether great like the Pope or on a small scale like Mary. And, if you were to take a new name like Robert Prevost who has become Leo XIV, what would you choose and why?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

“Come and have breakfast.” Jesus in John 21:1-19.

“Let minnow.” Fishing humour for let me know. 

Today’s Gospel reading is the first resurrection appearance of Jesus away from Jerusalem. When they last saw him in the upper room, having found it hard to believe the good news they had been told about his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to go to Galilee (Matthew 28:10) and this they have done, awaiting him there. However, only seven of them are present and, as they gather at the Sea of Tiberias, Simon Peter decides to go fishing and the others go with him. This is what they were doing when Jesus first called them three years earlier and perhaps returning to their previous work is reassuring after all the disciples have been through. 

Having caught nothing all night, the disciples must have been tired and disappointed so perhaps it’s understandable that they don’t realise that it’s Jesus who calls to them from the shore. He speaks kindly to them, calling them children as an endearment rather than criticism, and tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat even though they may have found that hard to do after a fruitless night. Their co-operation leads to the net being filled with many fish as John then recognises Jesus and Simon Peter jumps out of the boat to go to him, leaving the other disciples to deal with the heavy net.

When he reaches Jesus, a charcoal fire has been made with fish on it and bread. Given that the final meal they had with Jesus was at the Last Supper, where their betrayals, denials and failures had begun, Jesus does not chide the disciples but simply invites them to come and have breakfast, the first meal of the day. This is a new beginning – and even though Jesus has provided food for them, he invites them to bring some of their own catch to the meal. Their labour is used and valued, a way perhaps of enabling them to make a contribution that is honoured at a time when those disciples may have had very mixed emotions after the bewildering events of Holy Week.

The fire around which they met may have reminded Simon Peter of the brazier at which he denied Jesus thrice – yet the man who failed him is now commissioned three times by Jesus and, empowered with the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter responds to the hard challenge ahead of him and will remain faithful to what is asked of him. 

Perhaps we or those around us have very mixed emotions as both the courage and sacrifice of those who enabled the end of war in Europe and VE Day to happen eighty years ago is acknowledged? Perhaps there are doubts about the freedom won at such cost or the warfare that still persists today? Perhaps we have sometimes denied God’s call in our lives for all sorts of reasons or struggle with some aspects of faith today in the face of such profound change?  If so, perhaps the joyful response of Simon Peter, the fisherman who became the rock on which the Church was built, will hearten us and enable us to be forgiven and forgiving, knowing that a new beginning after failure or denial is possible and our contribution to God’s purposes is not only accepted but requested. What fintastic news to share as Eastertide continues! 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian. 

As the Guardian’s mother has still needed support this week, today’s reflection has been written by Christopher Belk, a local worship leader. Thanks go to him for it.

Reading 1 Acts 5; 27-32

Reading 2 John 20; 19-31

Those 2 readings are of course in the wrong chronological order. In John 20 we find the apostles having witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus but still locking their doors at their Sunday meetings for fear of the Jews. In Acts 5 we find them not in the least afraid, having just been out on the streets preaching and healing. What has happened meanwhile?

It seems they had suddenly found a new spiritual dimension, though not initially. The belief they had reached as a result of seeing Jesus after his resurrection, shared rather late by poor old Thomas, does not seem to have immediately resulted in any notable witness to those outside their circle, despite at their first meeting Jesus breathing on them and saying “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus last words to them before his ascension were “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses”. After Pentecost they were filled by the Holy Spirit to such an extent that they couldn’t help talking about Jesus in public, even in other people’s languages. It seems that even Jesus’ preparatory breath was not enough without the rushing mighty wind of Pentecost

Poor old Thomas. Apart from being listed with the others, his only other mentions (both in John’s gospels) come from the days leading up to Good Friday. First when the disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus should want to go up to Jerusalem knowing the authorities wanted to kill him, gloomy Thomas said come on then we’d better go with him and die with him. Then at the last supper it was confused Thomas who said “Lord we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?” Then imagine him in the garden of Gethsemane, in the background, not chosen to witness Jesus agony close up, probably asleep or confusedly dozing, suddenly roused by the arrest which certainly didn’t seem to him to have been planned by Jesus, running off into the night not knowing what was going on. We don’t know if Thomas witnessed the crucifixion, probably not, though couldn’t help hearing about it. So far as we know only John was actually there. Thomas was too miserable even to turn up for their first meeting.

So when the others told him they had seen Jesus alive it’s not surprising he needed more to get him out of his gloom. It must have been like that first week at a new school when everyone else seems to know the ropes but all you want to do is hide in a corner till Mummy comes to collect you. You would think that the others, inspired by Jesus’ breath, should have had no trouble witnessing to Thomas, but no, even they were not yet completely filled.

Here is a bit of rubber. If I drop it it falls immediately. If I tell you that some breath in it will make it fall slower you might not believe me unless you had seen it happen before. If I tell you that filling it with helium will make it hit the ceiling you are even less likely to believe me, especially as I don’t have any helium with me at the moment. You need to have seen it happen, and then you need a supply of helium.

It’s as though the first sight and breath of risen Jesus was like a good puff into the deflated balloon, and in Thomas’ case it was Jesus’ individual care for him and his deepest worries which transformed his belief. So they all then believed Jesus was alive, and that anything was possible for him, but they still had to wait for the helium before they acted on that.

So it seems believing the good news is more than just believing the facts of Jesus life, death and resurrection. Most people in the world don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead at all, or don’t think about it; the balloon just stays a bit of rubber, maybe gathering dust in the attic. Many, including many who call themselves Christians, do believe that intellectually, and have seen even that much belief can make a difference; their balloons do have some buoyancy to varying degrees. But many have not yet discovered very much power just in that stage of belief, and a church will not produce credible witness without the helium of the Holy Spirit.

How do we get that helium? Jesus said just ask, our loving Father longs to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. The rushing wind and fire of Pentecost was to give the disciples and us the visible evidence of what that can mean: until then they probably didn’t know exactly what Jesus meant when he breathed the Holy Spirit on them. We may not all need the Pentecost drama, but we do need the results, and need both to believe and to dare to ask..

Blessed, said Jesus, are those who have not seen and yet believe.

’They thought it an idle tale.’ From today’s gospel, Luke 24:1-12.

Luke tells his readers that this is what the apostles thought of what the women who had gone to the tomb were saying to them about Jesus’ body not being in the tomb. This phrase is telling, I think, partly because of the cultural differences that applied in those days as women were regarded as unreliable witnesses. They were not allowed to speak in synagogue or sit with the men, and these women were going to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ dead body with the customary spices. That’s a horrible thing to have to do, especially after scourging and crucifixion, and today, we think of the women, and men, who have to work with dead and mutiliated bodies in Ukraine and Russia, or the conflict between Israel, Gaza and Hamas. But these unreliable witnesses, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and other women with them, confirmed that Jesus was not in the tomb.

The disciples think this is an idle tale, nonsense, and don’t believe what the women say. But then Peter decides to see for himself – he goes to the tomb and sees the grave cloths, now not needed. Luke says he went home amazed.

These apostles had been with Jesus during his ministry; had watched, waited and prayed with him; had been at the Last Supper and in the Garden of Gethsemane after being prepared by him for what was to happen. Yet still, they did not believe was what happening. How could this be true? Easier to dismiss the testimony of the women. And yet, what they said WAS true. And that truth is borne out by the fact that today, over two thousand years later, we are celebrating the resurrection – hope renewed and faith restored, new life and fresh beginnings albeit with the marks and scars of what we’ve been through, just as shown in Jesus’ resurrected body.

Like those first disciples, we may find things hard to accept, especially in matters of faith. But, as Luke tells us, so did those first disciples. So if anyone says anything to us that we find hard to believe and think to be an idle tale or nonsense, perhaps, just perhaps, is it possible they may be telling the truth? For, despite it seeming so hard to believe, Christ IS risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

As the Guardian’s mother needs support having been in hospital, today’s reflection is by Christopher Belk – thanks to him for it.

Palm Sunday Readings 13 April 2025: Isaiah 50, 4-9a; Psalm 31, 9-16; Luke 22, 14-23; Philippians 2, 5-11.

I was surprised to find that none of today’s readings contains the actual account of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, with palm branches thrown in front.  This usual Palm Sunday theme is often celebrated with joyful  processions into church, even accompanied by a donkey, especially where children can be involved.

Today’s readings emphasise  a darker theme.  At the beginning of Isaiah 50, God seems to debate with himself what to do about sinful Israel. He says “When I called, why was there no-one to answer?  Was my arm too short to ransom you?” Then He seems to decide that pure power is not the answer, and the amazing passages about the “Suffering Servant” begin with today’s extract, and go on for four chapters leading up to to the well known chapter 53 “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. Although it seems to be about someone else, the context shows it is God himself who will suffer these things.

By Palm Sunday, Jesus had done his divine best, through teaching and miracles, to persuade by power and the word of God, but only some had been persuaded. He knew that God’s plan must involve more, and he would have been deeply familiar with those Isaiah chapters. He identified himself with them, as well as almost incidentally with Zechariah’s prophecy “ Behold your King comes to you, meek and riding on an ass”. Several times earlier he had told his disciples that he must suffer and die, though they did not understand. He did not earlier mention a donkey, but did earlier mention a cross.

Psalm 31 was written by King David, and no doubt expressed his personal feelings at the time, but it is no surprise to find these feelings paralleled by those which Jesus must have experienced as Holy Week began.  As he rode his donkey he was surrounded by joyful demonstrations, which he knew were appropriate as he was indeed the King, but it was too soon for joy to be uppermost, notwithstanding the “joy set before him” described in Hebrews 12.2. More likely it was his eager desire to eat his last Passover meal and complete his teaching of the disciples about the meaning of bread and wine before he suffered.

While he was conscious of the crowd of well-wishers he was also very conscious of those other crowds who did not wish him well, or may just have been indifferent. The gospels vary as to the makeup of the Palm Sunday crowd: some say they were those who had been with him on the journey up from Jericho, including many who had been with him all the way from Galilee – these mostly would genuinely have believed in him by then, though not understanding what was to come.

John’s gospel says others who had been with him when he raised Lazarus had spread the news so that those who had only heard about Jesus also came out to welcome him. Others only heard about him when the procession entered Jerusalem, and asked “Who is this?” Some Pharisees objected to the words being sung by the children, resulting in Jesus telling them the stones would cry out if the children didn’t.

It is traditional to suggest that the same crowd which sang Hosanna on Palm Sunday also shouted “Crucify” on Good Friday. I find that idea unlikely. The authorities who arrested and tried Jesus in the middle of the night and then hustled him to Pilate early on Friday morning would hardly have recruited their mob from that source, though I guess their professional mob might have been fringed by some of the indifferent bystanders who were happy just to join the latest protest.

So which crowd is us? Hopefully the ones who celebrate and worship Jesus as King and redeemer because we love him and are loved by him. Hopefully not the ones bent purposely on rejecting him. Or are we the ones who just know about him without much intimacy beyond some knowledge of the Bible? Or are we sometimes open to other influencers who try to recruit us for the latest gossip, habit or fashionable hate? If I am honest I can sometimes identify with most of them. But, as St. Paul advises, let us continually aim to be like Jesus.

A Palm Sunday Prayer

Gentle Jesus, find us today in the welcoming committee.

No stretch Limo – a borrowed donkey, celebrating the humility of divinity, anticipating the victory of victims.

Man of the people. Champion of the underdog.

Gentle Jesus, King of kings, HOSANNA!

(Pete Greig)

”You have the poor among you always, but you will not always have me.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel John 12:1-8.

“He just dropped a nuclear bomb on the global trading system.” Ken Roggoff, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, re Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

”Today is America’s Liberation Day.” President Donald Trump, re his tariffs. 

Today is Passion Sunday, the start of Passiontide, when the cross looms ever closer as Jesus continues to make his way to Jerusalem. The Gospel takes place at the home of siblings Lazarus, Martha and Mary who have already experienced death and restoration when Lazarus was raised from his tomb by Jesus after being dead for four days. It might be thought that they would realise that death could have no hold on Jesus but it is Mary who anoints his feet with expensive oil – according to St Mark, this cost 300 denarii or a year’s wage in those days – and wipes them with her hair. Contrasting with the stench of Lazarus ‘ tomb, on which Martha commented at the time, the fragrance of its perfume fills the whole house. It leads to the thief Judas complaining that the oil of pure nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor. In response, Jesus explicitly tells all present that she is preparing him for his burial – this is a prophetic act as well as a loving one. Mary also prefigures the washing of his disciples’ feet by Jesus at the Last Supper – she is a faithful and generous follower, whereas Judas is greedy and has been stealing from the common purse. What a contrast between them both!

John writes that this happens after the chief priests and Pharisees have ordered that anyone who knew where Jesus was should give information so that he could be arrested, which later leads to Judas agreeing to betray him for thirty pieces of silver. They also resolve to do away with Lazarus too, as so many people are turning to Jesus after what happens. This is a dangerous time for all involved as tensions increase and money plays its part in the considerations, for those who have the luxury of choice. 

Money is a focus for many people currently, with worldwide tensions being increased by the consequences of Donald Trump’s tariffs and policies, with contrasting interpretations of them. However, this is creating an uncertainty which will affect more than the stock markets – as Simon Jack, the BBC’s Business Editor, commented: ‘The real warning sign here is not about the value of your pension but about the health of the economy in which we live and work.’

The health of the economy was a focus in the UK even before the recent tariffs with the whole benefit system, as well as government departments, being subjected to radical cuts and changes made by the Chancellor in her Spring Statement. Health and the cost of living, generosity and greed, poverty and wealth, passion and indifference – the contrasts of life today, as in the time of Jesus, arouse passions and reactions in many forms. Judas came to regret what he did – while there is still time, what do we feel passionately or indifferently about and is there anything we need to change our minds about this Passion Sunday? 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.

See insights and ads

Boost post

All reactions:

11

‘Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to John, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.’ John 19:26.

“Sooner or later, we will have to recognise that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution…. Human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans.” Evo Morales, Bolivian politician and activist.

Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetere Sunday, Rose Sunday, Refreshment Sunday and Mothering Sunday. Laetere is taken from the Latin of the introit for the day, Laetere Jerusalem, Rejoice Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:10) which likens the city to a nursing mother. Midway through Lent, which used to be marked much more strictly than now, this was a day of refreshing from the Lenten fast before the rigours of Passiontide and Holy Week sop rose pink vestments were sometimes worn to indicate this. As Sunday is the day of resurrection, it’s always a day of celebration rather than fasting and, with references to mothers and mothering in the set texts, this became a time when people would go to their mother church, the place where they had been baptised or had grown up. This also became associated with Mother Mary, earthly mothers and Mother Earth, although nowadays it’s much more linked with the American secular innovation of Mother’s Day. Finding a card reading Mothering Sunday is increasingly hard to do!

Some remarkable women feature in the set readings today. At a time of great conflict between the Egyptians and the Israelites, when Pharaoh ordered all male Hebrew babies to be killed, the midwives involved feared God more than him and so they let them live. As the Israelites became numerous, Pharaoh then decreed that the babies must be thrown into the Nile although the girls could live. Exodus 2:1-10 tells the story of a Hebrew baby hidden for the first three months of his life and then put into reeds near the bank of the river in a papyrus basket plastered with bitumen and pitch so that he would not drown. On being found by Pharoah’s daughter, who took pity of him, his actual mother was brought to her and she arranged to pay for him to be nursed by her. When he was old enough, the Hebrew was then adopted and taken into her own home by Pharaoh’s daughter. It’s an astonishing story of a mother’s determination to see her child live, the willingness of an enemy to have pity on a crying child and the courage of both women and the midwives to defy Pharaoh.

The same is true of Melangell who, by refusing to do her father’s bidding over an arranged marriage or hand over the terrified hare when ordered to do so by Prince Brochwel, enabled the foundation of the church here and its tradition of sanctuary, healing and hospitality. Just as Moses’ name, possibly meaning child of the Nile or drawn from the water in Hebrew and son in Egyptian, was given to him by a childless woman, so the celibate St Melangell carried the title of Abbess or Mother of the community that her story says was founded here. Mothering comes in many forms.

One of those forms is giving care in terrible as well as hopeful circumstances, just as Jesus’ mother stood near the cross with her son at his agonising death. In finding the courage to do so, and being given into John’s hands by Jesus just as John is entrusted to her, so a new family and community is created at the foot of the cross. In the midst of terrible suffering, love and care triumph as life is reshaped, lost and eventually renewed – may it be so for the parents, children, communities and rescue workers in Myanmar, Bangkok and the devastated places that come to mind with all the complex mothering, care and restoration that will be needed in whatever lies ahead.

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian. 

“If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not you can cut it down.” From the parable of the fig tree, part of today’s Gospel in Luke 13:1-9.

“Many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the Coronavirus outbreak 2020. 

Pontius Pilate was the particularly unpopular and brutal Governor of Judea who, in today’s Gospel, has activated state-sanctioned violence by having Galilean pilgrims slaughtered in the Temple, where their blood has mingled with that of the animals being sacrificed. Perhaps he feared a riot, but it makes Jerusalem a particularly dangerous place for any pilgrims. A tower in Siloam, a small area of the city to the South of the Temple, has also accidentally collapsed and eighteen people have been killed. The city is in turmoil and Jesus is making his way there from Galilee, followed by large crowds, so some of those present try to warn him not to go. However, Jesus tells them that the Galileans who died weren’t targeted because they were more sinful than others and urges repentance while there is still time. He also suggests that those who were killed by the falling tower were also not singled out – building accidents happen for all sorts of reasons. For the second time, Jesus suggests that the need for repentance is urgent and that all will perish unless this happens. That, however, contrasts with the parable he then tells of the fig tree.

Fig trees were often grown in vineyards as they were good for the grapes but this particular tree hasn’t had fruit although its owner expected it to. He complains to the gardener that, for three years, it has produced nothing and is a waste of the space and soil, telling him to cut it down. However, the gardener suggests leaving it for one more year, tending it and using manure in the hope it will bear fruit. If not, it can then be cut down. Jesus does not mention the outcome – will it fruit or not?

These situations are true for us in the times in which we are living. There are many examples of state-activated terror, historical and ongoing, just as accidental death, injury and illness is also still as issue. Today is the fifth anniversary of the start of lockdown in the UK, a designated day of reflection to remember those who died in the Covid-19 pandemic when so many lives were cut short and so many families and friends were left devastated because they couldn’t be with their loved ones as they died. The pandemic killed many before their time, leaving others traumatised by what happened and the long-term consequences of health issues, isolation or loss. It’s said that there may be another pandemic on its way, that world war three may be imminent and that time is running out as climate change and pollution takes its toll on the planet. Whatever is in the pipeline, time needs to be used while we have it and can’t be taken for granted as unexpected events intervene and deprive us of it. ‘Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him,’ wrote Charles Dickens in David Copperfield‘ – yetsome situations require time, care and a second chance. Was the fig tree barren or were its circumstances preventing it from being fruitful? The gardener suggests one more year – but the axe will be put in if it doesn’t then produce. 

What are the things around us that need urgent attention and response? Are there situations where time and care may make a difference? Or are we taking time for granted? How are we bearing fruit in God’s world today? For these are not just our decisions – it’s up to the gardener too. Today’s the day – but for doing what?!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

“You will not see me until the time comes.” Jesus, in Luke 13:31-35.

“Be a tail to lions rather than a head to foxes.” A saying from the Mishnah. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has been journeying from Galilee towards Jerusalem, preaching, teaching, casting out demons and healing as he goes. Earlier in his Gospel, (12:1) Luke states that thousands of people came to hear him and, as his influence was increasing, so that of the Pharisees was beginning to diminish. When they came to him and warned Jesus that he must leave because Herod Antipas wanted to kill him, it may be that there were genuine concerns for his safety as some of the Pharisees were not dismissive of Jesus. However, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea and, as Jesus was moving away from Herod’s jurisdiction, there may have been no need for such a warning at all. Whatever the case, Jesus insists that he has work to do and that he must be on his way, calling Herod a fox in the process. That was not very diplomatic of him, but it pierced through the politicking that was going on because Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem – which was probably why the religious people of his day wanted him gone as so many people were following him. 

As a tretrarch, Herod Antipas was one of four governors, each in charge of one quarter of the province. As such, the Pharisees tried to use his authority, which did not apply in Jerusalem, by mixing religion with political power to deal with Jesus. Jesus will have none of it, however, but mentions the prophets and those who have been killed and stoned in Jerusalem. He uses the image of a mother hen gathering her chicks protectively under her wings but recognises that this will not happen in Jerusalem and so he goes on his way, resolved to continue with his work and calling.

Hens are often taken by foxes for food, and in calling Herod Antipas a fox, it may seem that Jesus is conjuring up the wily image of a man of stealth and cunning. In the rabbinic tradition, however, great men are often called lions whilst the term ‘fox’ was used of a lesser man. A saying from the Mishnah, the record of rabbinic teaching, says, “Be a tail to lions rather than a head to foxes” and the fox is regarded as an unclean animal in Judaism. Herod was a puppet ruler, put into power by Caesar Augustus, and had unfortunately built Tiberius, a new capital city, on top of an old Jewish cemetery. This was unacceptable to Jews, as was his second marriage to a woman who was both his sister in law and his niece. Herod also had John the Baptist killed and allowed his daughter, Salome, to dance in public which was shocking for many. It led to him being considered unrighteous and unfit to rule. So, although the Pharisees may not have been honest with Jesus, they disliked Herod even more and Jesus slips away ‘until the time comes’ for him to enter Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the city of peace but, now as then, is not at peace. In the midst of the warfare, bloodshed and tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere there are still many examples of rulers who misuse authority and may be considered to be controversial in their use of power or weak leaders like Herod Antipas. As Lent continues, that may apply to us, too – for what has the time not yet come and, when Jesus comes to enter the gate that is supposed to be a place of peace not only in the city but in our own hearts too, will we welcome him?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Priest Guardian.