St Mary's Church, Mudford

                                         May 2025

Dear all,

I’m writing this on the day after the death of Pope Francis. The bells in our

churches were tolled 88 times, one for each year of his life.

Pope Francis will be remembered as a humble leader, concerned about

the poor in society more than about the trappings of his office. In my

newspaper this morning there’s a cartoon showing the gates of heaven,

with clouds of glory and angels sounding their trumpets – the golden gates

stand wide open, but the humble figure of Francis is walking quietly in

through a side gate labelled “Servants’ Entrance”.

I’ve chosen this month’s Memory Verse with Pope Francis very much in

mind. On one occasion, Jesus’s disciples were arguing among

themselves about who was the most important. Jesus rebuked them.

Here’s the verse:

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.”

(Mark 10:43)

After that, Jesus went on to say that he himself was their example – he had

not come to be served, but to serve. You may remember that these were

the first words spoken by King Charles at his coronation. It’s a fine

attitude not just for people in power, but for all of us, and anyone who

correctly recites the verse to me will receive the usual sweet (or pint,

should you be lucky enough to meet me in the pub). Of course, reciting it

is one thing; putting into practice is quite another! But let’s do our best,

following the example of Pope Francis, and of the one whose example he

followed, Jesus himself.

With all good wishes,

Richard

richardtherector@hotmail.com