THE P RTAL
March 2013 Page 12 difficult to stand things together . On the one hand there is so much we just do not know , on the other hand is the fascination when things go together and it works .”
music is very important
We turned to music . Simon plays the organ for his local Ordinariate group in Harlow . It is obvious that music is very important to him and to Lucy . “ I learned to play the piano as a child ,” he said . “ Like many a child , my Mum made me and I did not enjoy it much . Then I came to the organ in my early twenties just after University . The Church needed somebody to play . I sang as well . We had two organists , so we rotated at Saint Mary Magdalene ’ s , Potter Street . I would sing at Mass and play at
Simon and Lucy with Elizabeth
Following the King
Evensong . Now I play everything !
churlish not to volunteer
“ When we started worshipping at the Assumption , Old Harlow , there was no one to play although they had a lovely organ . They used a CD player for accompanying the singing . We started there , and I thought it churlish not to volunteer . Now we have four ladies who have formed a little choir . I hope we shall be able to recruit some more from the congregation .”
Thank you Simon , Lucy and Elizabeth for your welcome and our talk . One knows there are such people as Research Scientists , but when was the last time you actually met one ? Well , I have and he is a member of the Ordinariate .
Sundays of Year C – Thoughts and Meditations
Laura Magson has read Fr David Mawson ’ s new book Following the King by Father
David Mawson , a priest of the Personal |
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham , |
is the first in a series of three volumes of |
thoughts and meditations based on the |
readings of the church ’ s year . Consisting |
of a lesson per week for each Sunday of Year |
C , plus one for Christmas , Following the |
King makes you not only look forward to |
the year A and B versions we have been |
promised , but also wonder if Fr Mawson |
is going to write a weekday version . |
For each Sunday , organised by the seasons of the year , beginning with the first Sunday of Advent , through the seasons of Christmas , Lent , Easter and Ordinary Time , the lessons are based on the readings for the day . Designed to be preparations for Sunday Mass , each passage can be read in a matter of minutes , but Fr Mawson has a talent for saying a lot in a few words . An expansion of the teaching of Jesus about the Kingdom of God , each weekly meditation begins with a biblical quotation , usually from the gospel which forms the basis of the lesson .
Fr Mawson expands the themes of the gospel and other readings with wisdom and humour , to explain what effect the teaching ought to have on how we live our lives , and illustrates this with real-life examples from his ministry . Here can be found explanations of things you may have always wondered about ( or perhaps it has never occurred to you to wonder !) For example : ‘ Why did Jesus need to be baptised when he had no sins to wash away ?’ and ‘ What was the significance of His coming to Jerusalem on a donkey ?’
The lessons are based on themes and ideas as they were preached or taught in parish churches . Each one is like a good quality sermon , easy to understand but informative , of the sort that you remember quotes from as you go about your daily life , coming to mind to inspire or to prick your conscience . Unlike such a sermon this has the advantage that it is written down to refer back to as you remember .
Fr Mawson warns us in the foreword to expect common sense rather than any deep theology , but the lessons make you realise that accessible does not have to mean either patronising or lacking in substance .
ISBN 978-0-9565118-5-0 Pub : Jacquedaw , November 2012
Paperback . £ 9.99