Snippets from Simon

Restrictions and Rations Then and Now Last weekend I recorded a message that referred to Paul Byrnes' book The Lost Boys  (pictured). It is an historical account of young men, indeed teenagers really, who went away to enlist in the armed services in World War I. I had opened the pages of that book because it was Anzac Day weekend and, as is often the case, was trying to enter into some of the original ANZAC experiences. As a youngster, I recall my own parents talking of their experiences during World War II. They used to talk of restrictions, rations and coupons. They usually had their own cow or chooks, so they didn’t need coupons for milk or butter or eggs. So they would swap with other families for coupons like flour. As we begin to understand what it feels like, what it seems like, in these days of the restrictions of COVID-19, I was wondering how some of the restrictions, including the struggles to buy some goods in the shops, was in someway similar to wartime ...

There are been pre-recorded Masses (sometimes called "canned Mass") and the streamed versions, like the one in the picture above.  These are helping to fill gaps for us in some ways. We are grateful to those who make these provisional celebrations possible. But, as someone said to me along the way "You don't get to receive the Eucharist".  Lent is over and Easter is here yet we still feel a fast of sorts. As some have noted: We miss being at Mass in person, face-to-face and in the flesh. As we long to gather, celebrate, receive and be the Eucharist of Christ together it may give us some moments to pause. In the loss and grief we may feel there are moments where we consider what the Eucharist means to us. Each of us will have reflections that are particular to us.  There are also some commonly inherited understandings.  Two writers have accessible books on the Eucharist from our common inheritance.  They knead together their own reflections with...

We have heard from some sources that the impact of isolation and lack of ability to access electronic information is becoming quite traumatic.   This can be especially so for some of our elder parishioners. Below are a few photos of places where some of them live. We know that some parishioners have been connecting with some people. They have been  dropping off things or running errands. Others have done phone or video calls to hear the voice or to see the smiling face. What a great thing to do! Not all of our elder parishioners can access all these things.  But they may be able to receive messages.  Some of us can remember when we were younger and our mothers or grandparents loved sending and receiving letters.  They would keep the letters for years and read them over and over.  A good example is of writer Roald Dahl and his Mother in Love From Boy . So, we are launching a request for parishioners to write in messa...