VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and healthy. If You or loved ones have been struck down by the Coronavirus or any other illness, it is for You that I have included today’s prayer. This week I realised that We have become increasingly immune to the daily death toll announced by Government ministers at the start of their … Continue reading A Prayer for the Sick
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You and Your families are well, that You are staying occupied and healthy. If You are one of the key workers, please take special care. You must stay safe. Covid 19 is a virus that We should really seek to avoid, almost as if it were dreamt up in a laboratory by those with evil … Continue reading Sunday Prayer
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and that You and Your families are washing your hands at the appropriate times. I hope that You are not too distracted and that work continues apace if You are working. I hope that You get to see Your loved ones regularly. I hope that You are being philosophical and prayerful, at … Continue reading A Prayer for Italy
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, We have lost an hour overnight. Time passes too quickly, does it not? I trust that You and Your families are healthy and well this Palm Sunday. Although talk is of more snow at Easter (surely not?!), I can see daffodils and bluebells appearing in our garden, so surely the sun is just round the corner. Fear not. … Continue reading A Prayer to Redeem Lost Time
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I wish You a peaceful Sunday and a prosperous, safe week ahead. This year seems to be rattling by. Who would believe that Lent is already upon us and, annoying for many, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday which is also Valentine’s Day this year. So giving up chocolates or wine, or liqueurs may be a tad tricky this … Continue reading A Prayer for Lent
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and healthy. Let us hope we have passed the worst of the cold weather and that the Australian flu, which, like the Australian quick, has undone us this winter, soon passes. I have received a request this week from one reader, who requested a “Prayer for Abundance”. As a Vicar You might … Continue reading Prayer for Abundance
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You and Your families are well and healthy. This is a time of year to survive. When people have overspent at Christmas and seek to rein in spending and girth. It’s also a time of year when cold weather tends to grip the nation. Let us spare a thought for those homeless in this cold … Continue reading A Prayer For Those Gone Before Us
VICAR Dear Country Squire Magazine Readers, I trust I find You well and Your families healthy. I wish You all an excellent and peaceful Sunday as always. This time of year is stressful and it’s easy to adopt a tunnel vision, midst darkness and rain, towards Christmas. Remember that You are alive! Remember how our lives are so much easier in so many ways than … Continue reading Augustine Prayer
VICAR Dear Reader of Country Squire Magazine, a happy and blessed Sunday to You. This time of year the teenagers are busy stressing themselves about upcoming exams. To them they are the be all and end all of things. Of course, they seem that way at the time. We also have an important General Election coming up. There are Brexit negotiations around the corner. We … Continue reading A Prayer for Enlightenment
VICAR One of the things I enjoy most in life is debating with atheists. There are many more atheists around these days than when I was a young man. Or, perhaps, after the public announcements of Richard Dawkins and that masterful theologian Ricky Gervais, people are just more confident about publicly stating their atheist beliefs (or should I say non-beliefs). There’s a story I relate … Continue reading For the Atheists
VICAR Good Day to You, Dear Readers. I wish you a blessed and relaxing Sunday this St Patrick’s Day weekend. Now that You have recovered from the rugby, You should be outside enjoying some sunshine. Yet it’s cold and wet across most of Britain as I write this Sunday message to You. So, this week I have decided to pray for sunshine. We’re done with … Continue reading A Prayer For Sunshine
VICAR Good Day to You, Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine. This week our very own magazine poetess Valentyna Holloway lost her father after a brave struggle with cancer. He and Valentyna’s family are in my prayers. I thought that this Sunday Prayer we should honour our loved ones who have passed. I send my personal condolences to Valentyna and any others of You who are … Continue reading In Memoriam
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, welcome to another CSM Sunday. I hope you have a beautiful day and that, wherever you are, the sun shines so you can get outside or breathe some fresh air through an open window. Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. We are now in Lent. So, what did you give up for Lent? Was it Salt & Vinegar crisps like … Continue reading A Prayer For Lent
VICAR Dear Readers, I wish you, as ever, a peaceful and blessed Sunday. I hope your week to come is full of accomplishment, happiness and progress. With Brexit seemingly inevitable and our lawmakers, diplomats and representatives having to face negotiations which will likely get tricky at times, I thought that this Sunday we should remind ourselves of the power of prayer at the heart of … Continue reading A Prayer For Britain’s Negotiators
VICAR Dear Readers, good day. Tuesday was of course St Valentine’s Day. Few bother to notice but Valentine’s Day has a bloody origin: From February 13th to February 15th, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on February 14th of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic … Continue reading Love
VICAR Good day to You, Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine. After getting a ticking off from the Editor for last week’s entry, I have promised NOT to get political again. So here’s a Prayer for Humility that I shall be regularly reciting as I treasure this spot on the magazine on a Sunday! I wish you a peaceful and blessed Sunday. Have a cup … Continue reading A Sunday Prayer
VICAR We are just a week away from Christmas. And we should by now be opening the first boxes of mince pies, sipping the occasional glass of mulled wine and hopefully some of the present wrapping will be out of the way. In our household, Christmas is a no-go zone as my wife dominates the preparations. It’s only after Sunday services (all three of them) … Continue reading Sunday Prayer: The Holiday
VICAR Good Day to you, Dear Readers. This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, and drafted for a homily by Cardinal John Dearden in November 1979. It was used as a reflection on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bishop Oscar Romero. I find it is a good prayer for reflection. There are times when words are not enough. “No statement says … Continue reading Sunday Prayer: A Step Along the Way
