Julie's Jottings for November

A Season of Memory, Gratitude, and Hope

Remembrance is a recurring theme in November. On All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and Remembrance Day, we reflect on stories of faith, of people we love and miss and finally we are invited to share civic gratitude by committing ourselves to serve the common good.

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day have been observed for most of the Church’s history. On All Saints’ Day we remember all those saints who left a name, whose work everyone knows something about: St Peter, St Paul, St Francis and many more. The saints who have inspired generations remind us of the extraordinary potential for faith and courage within human nature.

Then on All Souls’ Day we remember ‘the faithful departed’: the ordinary people whose mark on the world is less renowned, but who made their mark on us. Together, these days honour both the lives that changed history and the quiet lives that shaped us and who we are now.

As the season turns to Remembrance Day, our collective focus expands to those who lost their lives in times of conflict. Here, memory becomes a solemn call to responsibility. As the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, observed:

"We remember not to look back, but to look forward; not to dwell on past grief, but to acknowledge the debt we owe to those who gave their lives so that we might live ours in freedom and peace. We honour them by taking up their legacy: to build a world where we work together, across our differences, to serve the common good and protect the future of those we love. They gave us tomorrow; our task is to make that tomorrow worthy of their gift."

This enduring commitment finds its sharpest resolve in the Kohima Epitaph:

"When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today."

Ultimately, whether moved by the saints, grounded by loved ones, or humbled by the fallen, our acts of remembering direct us to think of how we can build a better future in their honour. Rev Canon Dr Julie Norris

Reflection for November

"If I ruled the world", sang Harry Secombe as Mr. Pickwick in the musical based on Dicken’s “The Pickwick Papers“. Mr Pickwick, a good natured benevolent soul spelled out what he would do if indeed he did come to rule the world. We might ask ourselves the same question.

Most people would probably say to bring "peace", but peace does not come of itself, it has to follow justice, justice for all involved in conflict with meaningful just retribution, and this is frequently the stumbling block to progress with peace negotiations.

Those who follow the fate of the poorest and the starving will advocate for food aid, sharing the resources of the planet more fairly, cutting out the extravagence and waste of those who have, and assisting with effective distribution to those who have not. Where climate change is playing havoc with traditional farming and livestock funding the re-education of local farmers with drought and heat resistant crops, with water and soil management will enable them to avoid famine and once again to provide effectively for themselves.

Debt relief would certainly be high on the list of required changes. Many of the poorer countries are in debt, paying more in interest on irresponsible loans than they can afford for their health services and programmes to improve infrastructure. The loans have come from greedy private lenders like banks, hedge funds and oil traders who have already made billions off the debt crisis.

Ruling the world would be a most weighty task, far more than one country, let alone one man could manage. Empires have come and gone leaving some measures of change and improvement, but conflict, poverty, famine and debt persist.

Thank God there is Christian Aid, their groundbreaking work began in 1945. British and Irish churches got together to help refugees following the Second World War. For 80 years, Christian Aid has provided humanitarian relief and long-term development support for poor communities worldwide, while highlighting suffering, tackling injustice and championing people’s rights. They certainly do not rule the world, but bit by bit they are changing it for the better.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  David Peacock