Giles Fraser in the Church Times

I'm not over fond of many of the things which Giles Fraser writes. I really liked this.

Getting things together

We've had a good Holy Week. It was a bit of a round robin amongst the local churches - 3 Church of Scotland congregations and the Roman Catholic Church. We generally had pretty good crowds and the clergy all got a chance to preach a sermon to members of other flocks. Tonight we're hauling our home-made Paschal candle up the street and lighting a fire in the parking lot of the neighbouring Church of Scotland as we add Holy Saturday to the ecumenical list. Our choir is uncertain. As for the presbies affected, they have a locum minister who has come out of retirement to take care of them during their interregnum. He's rolling his eyes a bit. I'm not sure he was expecting this but he's decided to 'go with the flow'.

Tomorrow we gather in the local graveyard at 5:25 a.m. with lit candles, say a few prayers and then make our way up to the hill behind St James with at least a mandolin and probably a guitar to watch the sun rise at 5:55. Thence to St James' hall for bacon and eggs and then back for Mass at 11:00. I'll miss it all when it's over.

What you see

on the road to Carlops

in Holy Week

The earth is black and freshly turned
The sharp and comestible smell is
walnuts and lemon or maybe
fresh leaves crushed between the fingers.

A blade reverses the settled order.

Winter thatch is sundered and uprooted.
Something vital flows from the furrows.

The tractor follows its even course along the ground
with nothing to negotiate.

A cloud of screaming gulls follows for good or ill

at a safe distance.