Saint Valentine

Sunday 14th February, 2021

St Valentine's Day and I wonder how many people have wanted to go out with their loved ones, buy flowers or chocolates and been unable to do so! I was surprised by the streamed Mass from Canada when the deacon announced that it was 'Marriage Sunday'. I suppose that is a sort of Valentine. He preached but somehow excluded all those who have had broken marriages, not found a marriage partner, lived with someone rather than marry them or have been legally barred from marriage. It is complicated as are people but the idea and ideal are worthy. It made me ponder the social varieties of the world....those who accept the idea of more than one wife, those who believe in divorce, those who do not want the legalities of the institution, those feminists who feel it is a male inheritance and those who are lost both in or after marriage. Whatever...I prayed.

A dull day with some rain, with a little thawing and with no enticement to go out. I did manage a short walk to the shop but only bought a chicken mayonnaise sandwich for lunch.

Then I decided to bake some soda bread and also use the oven for cooking sausages. So I ended up with a large meal of sandwich, fresh bread, sausages and a scone as baked by the landlady. Otherwise it has been mainly reading.

My arm is a tiny bit sore from yesterday's jab but nothing to fuss about but an excuse to hibernate in bed. Two indications of age and the loss of memory were to the fore. The landlady lost her mobile phone and looked everywhere and got upset as it had the scone recipe on it. I found it in the book cupboard! For a few days I have been trying to remember the word for examining entrails to discover the future. I used to love noting all words I did not know and then learning them and using them. For example the jargoggled gongoozler, scry, bergamot and others I have long forgotten. But recently I came across scry and knew there was a similar special word for entrail inspection. I gave in and looked it up...haruspicate. When will I ever use it? It is like the collective nouns for birds: a charm of goldfinches, a dropping of pigeons, a murder of crows etc and looking to them I noticed there are often a half dozen words for each type of bird. The mind dies and forgets yet I still have such good memories of life.

Lastly but not least I was upset by the readings at Mass this morning. The first was from Leviticus wherein it was explained how if a man had skin complaints he needed to see the priest. The priest would decide if it were leprosy and if it were he was to be expelled and to live outside the community. I know it was an attempt to save the community from catching the disease but the cruelty of expulsion is beyond understanding. There are parallels with this Covid virus. I have been appalled by the loneliness and non contact for so many elderly and demented with their families. We have been cruel. Was it necessary? I do not judge but I do question. I also recall that Jesus hugged the lepers as have many remarkable men and women since.

We must not lose our true humanity. At times we need to pay the price of love.