The Saint Barnabas’ Blog

Do you like this photograph, which shows my gorgeous girl admiring a horse, astride an ass and enjoying an afternoon at the petting farm? Well such moments might become a thing of the past if, due to one or two incidents of non-fatal sickness, the bureaucrats and over zealous parents of 21st Century Britain succeed in segregating children and farm animals forever!

What nonsense! And what a sign of the lily-livered, over pampered and pathetic bunch of fear-filled fools the populace of Britain is becoming! Why do we have to live with such fear? Why do we react such hysteria, fuelled by an irresponsible media, whenever misfortune arises? And why do we delude ourselves that we can somehow eradicate all risk and misfortune in life?

Is it not lamentable, even laughable, that whilst half the world’s children sleep with such animals on a daily basis, the precious of the UK now demand that many a charming attraction closes forever? You might have guessed I deplore such knee-jerked over reaction and can assure you that I shall be taking Jemima to Godstone Farm (if it re-opens) or another local petting farm this Monday in solidarity with common sense! We might contemplate this rather familiar scene and wonder if that too might be banned, for fear of teaching bad practice?!

In many ways we can link this story to the over reaction from the Church of England following the outbreak of swine flu. Where previous generations sipped the precious blood through plague, Spanish flu pandemic and amidst the outbreak of HIV…one hint of mild sickness and the present lot withdrew the chalice under order of the Archbishop of Canterbury! Forget the delicious irony of watching protestants receive in one kind only, this was hysterical over reaction. Hence at S. Barnabas we have quietly ignored the rule. Did we lose half the congregation to death? Were all of us laid out on our sick bed? Of course not, nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Proof, if it were needed, that the directive was a knee jerk reaction which could, and should, have been avoided.

Christians take note. Life involves risk. We may get sick, we may die, we may slip and hurt ourselves. Rather than seeking financial compensation or litigating against our neighbour, instead of making pointless rulings and endorsing a nanny state…we should take stock of reality. Let us not be a people of fear and panic but a people of confidence and calmness. Amidst all the noisy hysteria of the 21st Century, we must listen carefully for that still small voice of calm.

I was overjoyed to hear that the holy father is to visit Britain in 2010. Why? Well three reasons spring to mind:

1) It is undoubtedly a good thing for all Catholic Christians, regardless of denomination, who can recognise the Pope as the leader of Western Christendom. It is thus a great honour and the cause of great celebration.

2) It is going to raise the profile of the church in the media and thus the mind of the poplulace at large. Again this can only be a wonderful thing.l

3) There is going to be an awful lot of fantastic ‘tat’ on sale for those with a love of garish devotional items!

University students in the UK should pay more for their loans and accept higher tuition fees as "inevitable", says a report from business leaders. What a load of utter tosh, so typical of our deliberately blind society and stemming from a complete refusal to understand how the education system should work and where it is going wrong in our day. If we only ran universities as funded centres of learning, instead of self financing businesses, reserving entry for the truly academically gifted alone, then the problems would vanish overnight.

So forget the insane vision being proposed, crippling our young people with even more debt is simply ludicrous. How can encouraging future generations to live beyond their means be conducive to a healthy society? And how will we ever inspire graduates to take up poorly paid but essential vocations, such as charity work, the priesthood, nursing etc.. if they have mountains of debt to pay off?

Instead we should return to the wisdom of previous generations...you know those days when this nation was not run by a moronic money obsessed bureaucracy that seems hell-bent on turning us into a banana republic. Let me tell a story to explain what I mean...
,
...Once upon a time, in the early 1960's, a young lad raised in a low-income one parent family on the 'Sherwood Estate' in Tunbridge Wells held no fears about his ability to enter University. He did not need oodles of money to cover fees, food and accomodation, because the government grant easily covered such things. There was not much left over perhaps but, even so, no-one went short of beer!

And social class was no barrier to entry, all that was needed was evidence of hard work and genuine academic promise. Now we do here need to accept the lamentable fact that remains true today -life is harsh and many lower classed children were at a disadvantage if their own families were dysfunctional. But nevertheless, anyone getting the grades could get in! And because this priveledge was reserved for the few, they were guaranteed a job on leaving, such was the demand for graduates in the market place. I know this to be true because the lad I write about is not fictional he was and is my own father.

Fast forward to 1992 and his son gained entry into University, only now the policy of the last few decades had kicked in and was messing up our education system altogether. It has only got worse in the meantime. Instead of funding on merit, academic institutions are now driven by economic forces. Students = source of income and so the entry bar was lowered simply to fill the coffers. Now add to this lamentable fact the very confused notion of inclusivity that argues that everyone has a ‘right’ to attend and the nonsense of today emerges.

Suddenly anyone and everyone goes to University, regardless of the value of the course or its impact on life. And of course there is subsequently much, much less funding to go around. Hence in 1992 I received the exact same grant as my father had thirty years before me. Only this time it barely covered accommodation fees meaning that huge debt was totally unavoidable...that is unless you were fortunate enough to come from a very wealthy family. How ironic, the so called 'inclusive' policy is leading to a system in which only the rich or foolish can afford to attend.

So now we have a university system in which money has overtaken merit and learning as the driving force behind university. I was lucky to get in before things got really bad, and even then it took the generosity of others and hard work to return to an even keel. The rich/poor divide is being driven further apart in broken Britain and so many clever children from lower income families will soon be deprived of educational opportunity. It stinks and it is not fair! Meanwhile less intelligent loafers will spend three years living out a hedenistic existence studying such futile ‘degrees’ as Madonna studies…and I do NOT refer to the Mother of God!

So let us be honest about the real problems facing society. We need to love and value those of all abilities and none. We need to give good advice to school leavers and help them value a move to work as much as entry to University. We need to teach youngsters that debt is a terrible thing. And we need to return to an affordable, merit based selection policy that rewards the bright regardless of family wealth. Then we might just get back to living in a nation in which degrees and school qualifications are actually worth the paper they are written on!

I was listening to a radio interview with people who were evacuated during the war and, for the first time, I considered that event in British history through the eyes of a parent. Put simply I cannot begin to imagine the emotional pain involved in releasing my daughter from the family home without any real knowledge of where she was going. What damage this must have done to family relationships the nation over. A foul consequence caused by that horrible evil we call war.

I guess there must have been winners as well as losers. Some children must have been released from tough, abusive homes and placed in the loving care of decent souls. But what of those others wrenched from loving families and plonked at the mercy of cold, vindictive and even wicked souls? The thought, when looking at my own daughter, makes me shudder- however wonderful they might be, no other person could hold a parent’s love for her.

What damage did this do to the emotional and spiritual development of children in wartime Britain? And what damage was done to wider society as a consequence? It is certainly true that enforced separation of loved ones did much to damage marriages and that many families never recovered. Let us pray today for families everywhere and especially for children reared without a loving mother and/or father. Let us pray especially for orphans everwhere and those reared in institutions.

Britain’s special relationship with America is strained to breaking point this week due to the Scottish decision to free the terminally ill Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, on grounds of compassion. What a kaleidoscope of reactions this has caused. America is infuriated, the relatives of the murdered are upset, Libya is ecstatic, the Libyan authorities are triumphalist, Gordon Brown is sheepish and Kenny MacAskill, the man at the centre of the row, is understandably nervy and defensive. Hmmm how to unpick all of this?!

Firstly there is clearly more to this than meets the eye! Somewhere along the lines the political machine has been churning in overdrive and doubtless few will ever know the real story behind this strange decision. Secondly, this being a church blog, I am not particularly interested in explaining the political ramifications. What interests me is the clear conflict here between the human need for justice and the need for compassion. This story brings an ethical dilemma to the fore.

An over reliance on justice and the world becomes cruel and unforgiving. I have never supported the death penalty, for example, as it contradicts my passionate Catholic belief in the sanctity of all human life and cuts short the opportunity for redemption and grace. Let us never forget that Moses was a murderer, Solomon an adulterer and Peter a man who violently sliced off an ear etc..

But an over reliance on compassion leads to a weak world in which injustice rages. If you go too easy on the violent, oppressive and wicked it leads to anarchy. Before long the wicked learn to exploit compassion and law and order quickly breaks down. Let us not forget that the Gospel is full of explanation that God sees fit to punish the wicked and that hell will be a miserable reality for those who choose darkness over light.

What is needed then is delicate balance. Alas, in the case of the Lockerbie bomber, that has not been achieved hence the outrage. I find it appalling that a man who caused the death of so many, devastating families in the process, can be freed after serving just a third of his sentence. If he is genuinely sorry and deserving of compassion I find no earthly reason why this need include release from captivity? Why not provide medical care and comfort within the confines of prison? That way he can experience love and grace whilst also ensuring the price to society is paid in full. I think most would agree and thus this decision will haunt the Scottish parliament, and sadly all of Britain by association, for many years to come.

A final thought is that the difficulty of providing forgiveness without undermining justice is in fact the most eternal ethical problem. On a cosmic scale, it was the very problem facing God when he looked on mankind after the fall. How could He bring us home to heaven when we had soiled the divine image and turned so far from his laws? The answer came in Christ Jesus and was offered to the world on Good Friday. By becoming one of us and dying on the cross, God managed to pay the price of sin and ensure full justice was achieved before divine forgiveness was offered. Man had sinned but man also became the redeemer, in the person of Christ Jesus. What brilliance, what wonder and self sacrificial love we find here- at last justice and compassion have embraced and the path to reconciliation has been opened for eternity.

I am deeply concerned at the direction British society is heading in as regards ‘assisted dying’ as there is now mounting pressure to change our laws and allow people to be eased out of life, should pain and/or illness be making life unbearable. At present those wishing to commit suicide medically must travel to the infamous ‘Dignitas’ clinic in Switzerland, a facility which is doing a roaring trade by handing lethal cocktails to people who have lost the will to live. I find it profoundly unsettling and would remind everyone that the Church has always taught that the gift of life should be protected from conception to death.

One of the most infamous Dignitas cases concerned Daniel James, a young man tragically injured playing rugby, resulting in full body paralysis. Quite understandably, following this life changing incident, Daniel entered a period of profound depression. He then managed to convince himself and his loved ones that life had come to its end. He died in the Dignitas clinic after drinking a potion which assisted his suicide.

The real tragedy here was not the injury, in my opinion, but that his depression was allowed to be seen as an end. Because what others, who have been injured in a similar manner, will tell you is that this depression eventually lifts and you can adjust to your new, more limited life. Furthermore post paralysis life soon becomes every bit as pleasurable as life before. If only this young man had been given more time and treatment, if only assisted suicide was outlawed, he might have refound a reason for living.

And then we might consider the many elderly and seriously ill people who choose to use ‘Dignitas’. What if such clinics were opened in England? Would this allow for the compassionate ending of miserable lives? Many believe so but I feel that the option to ‘put granny down’ will soon be abused by greedy and insensitive relatives. The human condition is a wretched one and, much as it pains me, I maintain that pressure would be put on many a vulnerable or elderly patient as ruthless relatives look to line pockets and/or alleviate a burden and duty in life. Furthermore testing for such fraud would not be easy as some people can even delude themselves as to motives where the loss of loves ones is concerned.

In my opinion we already have a good system. There is no reason why medicine cannot be withdrawn in order to allow nature to take its course when people approach death. Furthermore pain control can be adminstered in large enough doses to ensure suffering is kept to a minimum. This is ample provision to ensure dignity and love at the end of life.

We have already abandoned the unborn to cruel fate in the Western world, I guess its only logical that all ‘inconvenient’ lives should be included in that number. But let us pause and think again, for it is only a small step from here to deciding that all those who no longer serve purpose, and who drain the NHS budget, should be offered compassionate leave. This is not the way of life which Christ holds holy. We who are Christian see in those who approach death, the patient suffering of our Lord. We know that, in their distress, they are united with one who cares for them and who can bring light out of darkness. Let us speak out with one voice and ensure that we do not end life prematurely and rob people of their vocation and calling. Suicide is not something anyone of us should embrace.

Those looking for light hearted fun look away. I am finishing off my tax returns and therefore I am in full Victor Meldrew mode!! You have been warned…grumpy guts is posting today:

Why is tax so complicated? Having waded through paperwork to access the correct information for our family tax credit form… I hit an unseen wall. For some inexplicable reason the tax office, despite being told twice, have not updated Hayley’s employment status which changed in 2007. So it was off the phone, contact Hayley, queue again for an advisor…only to be told they needed the exact hours she works. Why? Dear God why? I have the figures damn you!! Why? So off the phone, contact Hayley and now, equipped with the necessary information AGAIN, I am sitting idle back in a horribly long queue waiting for my 4th advisor of the day! Grrr!!!

Why does it have to be so demanding? Why can’t we all just pay a set figure according to salary and be done with it? And how on earth does that minority not as bright as myself cope with all of this? It is bewildering at times!

But today’s irritating experience is as nothing compared to last week when filling out my own tax return. We encourage the use of our online facility, state the HM Revenue and Customs, and so I began to do just that….only to discover, some time into the procedure (and thus committed) that the free online service has a sordid little secret. Only some forms are provided, other essential elements are left out. In order to access these, such as the ‘ministers of religion’ form, one must use specialist software from a list of registered providers….a snip at £25 minimum. Yes it would seem rip off Britain has learnt a new trick, from now on we are to pay for the privilege of filing our own tax returns. How charming!

Time for my Daily Mail headline……’what has happened to this nation?’ Far from being a community built on Christian ideals, in which we look out for one another, we have become a nation of greed in which individuals are increasingly used as cash cows for large corporations. When Labour came to power we were promised ‘things could only get better’ am I alone in suggesting they have got a good deal worse? And this is not a party political point as I am not confident other parties would have been much better. Never in British history have we been taxed so heavily, with stealth taxes at every turn, and yet we see so little for it. And of course, due to the criminal greed of banks and the current leadership of this nation, things are about to get a whole lot worse. Taxes will rise further and services cut like never before.

Meanwhile we can be confident that energy firms will continue to announce multi billion profits whilst continually hiking prices, which affect the elderly and vulnerable in a terrible way. Train tickets will remain amongst the most expensive in the developed world. Supermarkets will continue to grow in power and strength with groceries rising in price. And, what is more, the nation will continue to creek and groan under the crippling red tape and political correctness that turns common sense and trust into things of the past.

Why should I be forced to change car insurer on a regular basis order to avoid paying over the top premiums? Whatever happened to rewarding customer loyalty? Why should the M25 be slowed simply to force us to pay a 50% surcharge to use the Dartford Crossing? When we were promised it would be free once paid for?

Something is wrong at the heart of our nation. And as I fill out my tax return…(honestly, can you believe it MPs?)… I yearn for a more simple and decent way of life. A Christian way of life. The Western Empire is collapsing and it is profoundly sad living within a soulless, greedy society which seems to lack vision, integrity and purpose. There told you I was grumpy!!

The Pope has produced a heart warming encyclical entitled ‘Charity in Truth’. It is worthy of everbody’s time and attention regardless of churchmanship and I implore you to find the time to soak up every word. I was planning to recycle much of it on here but I have been spared the effort because Fr. Ivan has produced his own excellent post which covers matters perfectly. It is therefore enough to simply direct you to his post. The Sevenoaks blog will also provide you with a link to the original. Thank you Fr. Ivan for saving me much blogging time!

I am struggling to cope with the adoration which Michael Jackson is getting simply because he has died. Is it not rather sad that our society idolises fame and fortune to such an extent that it is willing to overlook the most deplorable things? People on message boards and in the media are treating MJ as some sort of hero, when in fact his life was a very sorry tale.

Fact is he was a tragic, mentally unwell man who -most likely indeed-abused children. Of course none can prove this but just look at his close freindship with McCaulery Culkin who then went off the rails and lost it big time. Consider how he always had a boy -OF A CERTAIN AGE- hang round with him, lavishing gifts on them and then dropping them when they aged beond his liking. Worse he admitted to sharing a bed and showering with them. Finally he used his fortune to settle out of court- not the behaviour of an innocent man. As one who has seen first hand what child abuse does to people – we should not downplay its significance here. On the evidence provided he would not have been left alone with my children I can tell you!

That said it is not our job to judge MJ and we should hope he does find forgiveness. I will certainly pray that he might RIP. Pity him I can, but I stand a long way off from finding it appropriate to celebrate this life, despite his undoubted talent. He was a sick man in many senses and his early demise is, in many ways, indicative of that. Was he penitent? What did he do to merit the praise of society- music aside? What message does the adoration he is recieving send out to people?

I am reminded of the death of Princess Diana, when people gushed about her in an hysterical manner but totally ignored the death of Mother Teresa…..that said rather a lot to me about our society and the people we adore.

As a child the figure of Mary Whitehouse intrigued and impressed me. Though too young to comprehend the points she was making, I nevertheless admired the manner in which this ‘oh-so-normal lady’ had found a voice in the public sphere. Furthermore she seemed to be speaking up for the faith which my parents had taught me to love.

Whilst studying for my first degree this admiration turned to ridicule. Being a typical rugby playing lad, in a college with ten women to every man, I was on a something of a crusade to push life’s margins and ignore any message of self-discipline and restraint. Who was this kill-joy who wished to return us to a repressed and miserable state? Life was for living, let each person choose. Censorship was clearly an evil that threatened the liberty of men and women everywhere!

A few weeks ago, whilst running at the gym, (not that my physique would give that one away!) I found myself staring at MTV, which was playing on the giant screens that adorn the walls. At first, and to my shame, I was thrilled and entranced. A very pretty lady, clad in next to nothing, was gyrating in a most suggestive manner before the camera. This was followed by another musical video in which a series of almost bare bottoms were slapped by another unrealistically beautiful woman dressed as some sort of dominatrix.

As the sweat poured down my neck (from the running not the viewing!) I had a thought which stopped my lustful appreciation in its tracks. MTV is aimed at a very young audience. What I was watching was the manner in which this broken society will present sexuality to my daughter. Gorgeous semi-clad girlies might set my pulse racing…but this is most definitely not what I want for my children. Videos in which themes such as perversion, free love and multiple partners are presented as normal and healthy. And how much is this material shaping our minds and attitudes? What correlation between the saturation of sex in the media and our tragically high divorce rates, abortion figures, teenage pregnancies and STDs?

When I got home that night I flicked through the television channels with a more critical eye. ‘How to look good naked’, ‘A girls guide to 21st Century sex’, ‘Eurotrash’ and ‘Sexcetera’ were all serving up varying degrees of pornography to the general public. And on other channels were the most graphic depictions of violence, cruelty and torture. A glorification of criminal activity and an unhealthy fascination with the mind of the killer. What does our television say about us?

When I consider the media I want for my daughter I begin to see Mary Whitehouse in a new light. Was she really a modern day prophet? A steely, determined, feminine version of John the Baptist, who dared to say the things that none of us want to hear? A voice crying in the wilderness of our permissive and hedonistic society? Might we be better placed if we had used the media to support family values and the virtues which faith holds dear?

I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, not least because it points out my hypocrisy. But this sinful man who delighted in watching the MTV gyrations, might need to concede that Mrs. Whitehouse had a point.