Fear and Trembling

I don't often do "serious". I don't generally feel qualified to talk about current affairs (ok, with the exception of the EU referendum), since I live in a little bubble of child-herding/preschool runs/cleaning/translating/church/repeat. The news in recent weeks has been so horrific that I can't even bring myself to look at it most days.

The news about Fr. Jacques Hamel yesterday felt like a kick in the gut. It brought everything into very, very sharp focus, and I'm scared.

There's nothing special about St Etienne du Rouvray. It's a French town, like any other. With a parish church, like any other.  With a weekday mass, like any other. With a priest, like any other. And a congregation, like any other. 

This isn't just an attack on a single community, on a single priest. It's an attack on all of us. Another village, another time, another mass... any of us could have been in that congregation. I could so easily have been there. My children could so easily have been there.

So yes, I'm scared. I'm not ashamed to admit it. But I'm not going to give in to fear. "Be not afraid": there's a verb in there. It's an action. We're allowed to be scared, but we must let ourselves be comforted. We must stand up and be counted - in love, not in hatred. We must stand by the people of St Etienne du Rouvray, of Nice, of Paris. Of Turkey. Of Syria. Of Iraq. We must keep praying, keep attending mass, keep loving. We must not let hatred win. 
 

Hymns of the Week: 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year C

Entrance: O God our Help in Ages Past

Offertory: In Bread we bring You, Lord

Communion: Do Not Be Afraid

Recessional: Walk in the Light

(Final hymn chosen especially for my eldest daughter, who loves it. She also thinks the words are "Ahhhh-hhhhh, ginger live".)

I did debate using Faith of our Fathers this week, with respect to everything that's been going on in the world of late, but it's a bit too polemical. Whilst I think it's an amazing hymn, the words can be interpreted as encouraging division and conflict, and that's the last thing we need at the moment. Not being afraid seems to be a pretty good starting point, anyway.

Hymns of the Week: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year C

Entrance: Seek Ye First

Offertory: In Bread we bring You, Lord

Communion: This is My Body

Recessional: How Great Thou Art

Hymns of the Week: 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

Too late to be any use to anyone this week, but who knows, maybe in three years' time...
To be perfectly honest, this weeks' hymns were picked mostly based on what I can play with no practice. It's been a long week! That said, they all fit in pretty well with the readings (welcoming, following, silence, watching/working, Martha/Mary...)

Entrance: Be Thou My Vision

Offertory: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

Communion: Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord

Recessional: Will You Come and Follow Me

Hymns of the Week: 15th Sunday of Ordinay Time, Year C

Entrance: At the Name of Jesus

Offertory: A New Commandment

Communion: Love is His Word

Recessional: Almighty Father, Strong to Save (the collection is for the Apostleship of the Sea this weekend - I haven't just pulled that one from nowhere!)

Hymns of the Week: 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

Everything is a bit crazy round here at the moment, but time, tide and the liturgical year wait for no man, so...

Entrance: Love Divine, all Loves Excelling

Offertory: Blest are You, Lord

Communion: Make me a Channel of Your Peace

Recessional: Our God Reigns (true story: when I was little - we're talking 4 or 5 - I thought the words were "Argos Rains". It still goes through my head every time. Slight giggle risk, but it's relevant to the first reading...)

 Happy Tuesday!

Seven Quick Things, Episode 17: DOOOOOM.

1. Yesterday, the UK voted to leave the European Union. I (along with pretty much everyone I know) am both furious and petrified. Most of the progress in workers' rights, including maternity and paternity leave, over the last 30 years has come through the EU. It looks like we may lose Scotland (and good luck to them, they shouldn't have to put up with the results of England's folly). Far-right groups across Europe are rejoicing at the news, which tells you all you need to know.

2. On a lighter note, can anyone tell me who this is?

It's on a cushion bought in Spain in the later 1980s, copyright Cinema Marketing Corporation, so probably a character in some kind of animated film. Any assistance in identifying the beast would be gratefully received.

3. Also this week, Cardinal Arinze has asked us to stop using the word "Yahweh" in the liturgy.  Personally, I've always felt that God has enough titles which can be used reverently, lovingly and respectfully without us needing to make up new words from the Hebrew tetragrammaton, which serves to represent a name which should not be pronounced. Also, the musical value of what a priest friend calls "Yahweh songs" is generally pretty limited, so... no great loss.

4. Our childminder has some pretty amazing ideas for parent presents. Ze Husband got this off R for father's day:

White mug, masking tape letters and drawing-on-mugs pens. Seriously, what a great way of getting a 2-year-old to make something that's actually pretty AND useful!

5. We had some pretty bad news at the end of last week: my parents had their bank account completely cleaned out as the result of a scam. I didn't share the news earlier because it wasn't mine to share, but my parents are keen for people to know what happened to them, just in case it stops someone else from suffering the same fate. The scam is pretty sophisticated, and involves a phone call from "the bank" concerning recent suspicious transactions. The scammers then block the victim's phone line, so that any call they make to their bank to check the details of what's going on goes directly to them. Full details can be found at http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/phone-scams . My parents are both well-educated and not, by any means, elderly. Not only did the scammers take everything in their account (which they used for savings as well as general use), they also took the full arranged overdraft. As my dad actually authorised the transaction (assuming it was a legitimate means of protecting against fraud by transferring funds to a new, "safe" account he'd set up), there is little chance of them getting their money back. Please, PLEASE, if you get a phone call purporting to be from your bank, double-check before you do anything. Before attempting to contact your bank, call someone whose voice you recognise to make sure the scammers aren't still on the line. This HAS to stop.

6. On a more positive note (again) - I keep seeing tiny babies everywhere this week! Es seems huge all of a sudden... somehow, I don't think we'll be stopping at three, but we may need a bigger house first. Four kids in one small bedroom would just be nuts, even for us.

7. The last one is for any desperate Brits out there: all is not lost. Pick a country. Any country...

Linking up with Kelly for 7QT. In the spirit of unity, sharing and friendship across the whole wide interweb, obviously.