The Portal May 2018 | Page 24

THE
P RTAL
May 2018
Page 24
Poles Apart!
Julia Beacroft
T he Seasons
and the weather have been the focus of my attention recently. Therefore, at this time
of the year, I move on to the ‘marvellous month of May’…
My elder son is a teaching assistant in a primary not for a moment hesitate to undertake the greatest
school – a rewarding, demanding and often challenging commission of all time, and one which was to have the
role, but one to which he, nevertheless, gives his heart most far-reaching effects for mankind – ever.
and soul. Yet he has been a bit fed up lately…
And so during this month of May, may we celebrate
Unravelling
the life and commitment of Mary our Mother, Queen
As the season is now set to change again, most schools of May. And as for my son - his advice regarding the
are turning their thoughts to spring activities. And of May dancing is:  ‘Don’t touch it with a barge or any
course, his is no exception. Some of the children there other kind of pole!’
have been tasked with learning to maypole dance. The
  Julia Beacroft is an author, editor, workshop leader
dance is performed by pairs of boys and girls who stand
and presenter in Catholic faith formation
alternately around the base of the maypole, each holding
Her book ‘Sanctifying the Spirit’ is available from
the end of a ribbon. They weave in and around each
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other, boys going one way and girls going the other and Please visit www.sanciobooks.com for more information.
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the ribbons are woven together around the pole until
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2018
Julia
Beacroft
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the merry-makers meet at the base. My son explained
that this sounds so simple in theory, but the practice
Geoffrey Kirk is still poorly.
is a very different matter! The children apparently,
Please keep him in your prayers.
seemed unable to grasp the idea at all, going the wrong
way and tangling the ribbons until it was impossible
to continue. And there are no prizes for guessing who
had the monumental task of unravelling them! But
unfortunately, there was still worse to come! In despair,
the class teacher nominated the long suffering teaching
assistant – my son – to be one of the maypole dancers,
in a bid to ‘sort the children out’. To say that he was
reluctant and felt an absolute fool during the process
would have been an understatement!
Greatest Commission
During the month of May we honour the Virgin Mary
as ‘the Queen of May’. And rightly so. And yet this was
not only because she was born without spot or stain of
sin – a perfect vessel to carry the Lord – but also because
of her absolute obedience and faith in God. This great
faith enabled her to give an unequivocal “Yes” to God,
when asked if she would become the mother of Jesus
Christ. Mary must have wondered what would become
of her when the news of her impending motherhood
became known, as this would have been completely
flying in the face of Jewish conventions at that time. Yet
despite this, her commitment to the Lord was absolute
– ‘Let this be done to me’.
  My son was reluctant and embarrassed about
performing his allotted task – dancing around the
maypole. In contrast, our Lady, Queen of May, did