A few years ago Julia and I visited Rome during the February school half term holiday. It was a great time to go as it was warm enough to eat out in the open air and there weren’t many tourists and, as an added bonus, the Pope put in an appearance on our last morning there. Just before we went someone lent us a guide book entitled “Secret Rome”. We found that this little book introduced the reader to little known buildings of interest or beauty, sometimes both, which the average tourist would not normally visit or even know about. I was thumbing through the book rather nostalgically just prior to sitting down to write this month’s letter and two buildings in particular caught my eye largely due I think to their names. I must confess that we didn’t actually visit either.
The first was called, “The Academy of the Superfluous”. The building itself is mediaeval in origin; it has been deconsecrated and now houses a school of decorative arts. I am rather glad to see this redundant church building is being used for artistic purposes, rather than being turned into a carpet shop, but all the same there is something sad about its decline as a place of worship (not that Rome is short of churches). Reading about this building in the guide book got me thinking that more and more in our country today the church and what it stands for is seen as superfluous. This manifests itself not only in the growth of militant atheistic propaganda but also in practical terms, e.g. when it comes to getting grants it is relatively easy, even in these economically difficult times, to get money to improve our church hall as it is seen as a village amenity. Trying to get money to improve the church building is very difficult and, although it is not stated openly, the inference is that the church building is not an amenity for the local community; in fact if it is anything it merely houses a club for the religious who should be seen either as strange eccentrics, a throwback to a bygone age, or if they start trying to spread Christianity seriously, as dangerous militants.
Of course we don’t help our cause, let alone ourselves, if we Christians don’t take every opportunity to practice our faith and grow in our knowledge of God and what He has done for us in Christ. Which brings me to the name of the second building, “The Gonfalone Oratory” well actually what struck me was the author’s title to this particular page in the guide book – “A Little Known Marvel”. A friend of mine was talking to a Roman Catholic Priest a while ago and lamenting the fact that some Anglicans only turn up to the Eucharist at Christmas and Easter. “Oh, we have those in the Roman Church”, replied the Priest, “we call them hardy annuals!” Of course Easter is of central importance to us, without the resurrection of Christ we wouldn’t have a faith at all. But Holy Week is also important. Just turning up on Easter Sunday is rather like reading the last page of a novel and then not bothering to read the rest of the book that leads to the conclusion. As you will see from the list of services in this month’s magazine there is a wide variety of services on offer at the Good Shepherd during Holy Week. They are intended to help us understand and connect with the depths of our Lord’s passion before we get to the victory of Easter Day. I wonder, even if you are a regular worshipper on a Sunday and not a “Hardy Annual”, if Holy Week is “little known to you”. Well come along you will discover it is a “Marvel”.
Happy Easter – Fr Mick