Sermons And Gubbins

  Fons Vitae It never was a myth.  Though tinged with rust, its waters still flow. Persian Princes pursuing Makrobian springs; Crusader Kings seeking sacred scriptural pools; Rich Conquistadors questing for the lost lands of Bimini; All their trails ran dry.  All grew old and died. Outside Class 2, St Bethesda’s School  — a forgotten hamlet near to Bath —  An old drinking fountain, barely used. Now, parents trust a sterile, cartooned flask. Yet, all the children know a wet paper towel from this fountain cures any playground injury. And a thumb under the tap  makes for the liveliest summer game. But Covid roped it off. And the juniors warn of ‘lead poisoning’. The youngest infants, though, have not yet learnt better than to lean in and drink (when the adults are not looking, of course). It is always the youngest. During the summer,  it stands unattended save for the sparrows  that renew themselves in the drips from the tap and the dandelions  ...

  Last Night (Ariadne’s Thread) When the sun goes down and does not rise I will savour this sunset most of all gold and ruby and Tyrian purple blending into Cretan sapphire sky But more precious than these: fingers intertwined knees pressed together feet swinging as one above the tide your tired head against my forearm I hope that we can rewind this thread of memory— on that day when Ariadne lays down her spindle— with my hand held in yours and my own tired head resting on your arm Then may I return to these treasured hues, the comfort of skin as well as sun, and hold on to these moments  when I could keep you warm and safe and I will smile, knowing then that my last sunset is not yours. Dedit oscula nato non iterum repetenda suo Ovid's  Metamorphoses  (Book VIII)

 'Triduum' is Latin for 'three days'. Ecclesiastically, it refers to the three days of Jesus' arrest and death running up to Easter Sunday, covering the events of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, and the liminal time of Holy Saturday when Jesus is dead. 'Haec Dies' means 'This is the day', and it is often used to refer to Easter Sunday itself ('This is the day that the Lord has made', from Psalm 118, which is often recited on Easter Sunday). Triduum Feria Quinta  Ante diem festum Paschae, sciens Jesus quia venit hora ejus ut transeat ex hoc mundo ad Patrem. I ran this morning.  Lord, have mercy — Along the path and round the field  that overlooks faraway green hills Then back up towards the church and down, and down, and through the daffodils Sliding on mud — my attempt to avoid  crushing purple hyacinths I traced the grass and my circling path around the garden labyrinth Christ have mercy — The mud s...