Something a little different Madam?

Time that Lloyds was held to account

Now it is not often that you will find posts dealing with secular affairs such as banking on this blog but I'm afraid that I have strayed from the path after hearing a rather interesting story from a young lady of my acqaintance.

It concerns the fact that this young lady, let's call her Miss Argery, went in search of a better deal from her bank (which happens to be Lloyds Bank of the sign of the black horse).

Her friendly manager went smoothly through her affairs before posing the question:

"Would you like to open an Islamic account?"

"Aherm" said Miss Argery, "Now why would I, a good Catholic girl, be wishing to do that?"

It seems, you see, that we now have special bank accounts for all sorts of things.

 There is one for the under 19s, one for school students and, of course, one for graduates.
And to this list has been added one for Muslims, or, at least, those who are sensitive to the issues of mortgages for example.

We are all aware that immorally high and devious interest rate schemes are to be condemned and that, in Islamic, Jewish and Catholic law are considered sinful and that, furthermore, may involve one in a grave sin.
 But a modest mortgage on number 23, Railway Cuttings, does not, by and large, normally commit oneself to the fiery pit.

Under Islamic (Sharia) Law, such deals may well be considered sinful and, therefore, there exists a series of varied loans that skirt around the problem - all well and good, but should this be on the shopping list for young Brits keen to forge a way for themselves in the world of domestic property?

Quite what Lloyds Bank think that they are playing at is beyond me.

As a percentage of the British population the Muslims rate somewhere below 5% - not a figure that would seem to deserve a special promotional push from the bigwigs of Gresham Street.

So why is this scheme thrust before us?

I hate to appear xenophobic but here, in the gentle lands of West Wales with the Preseli Mountains making an amazing backdrop to a coastline that is clearly designed to take one's breath away, I really do not wish to be "sold" on tenets of the framework of the Islamic faith.

Perhaps Lloyds are in need of a few letters of protest.

That is our way of dealing with matters or organisations that we object to.

Others might go down the Fatwa route. But that is not our way.

Bishop Kieran and the baby

A correspondence in The Daily Telegraph has focussed on infants and their place in church, particularly when they are crying.

A correspondent wrote in to relate a story concerning Bishop Kieran Conry of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton who, upon delivering a sermon noticed a young mother struggling out of her pew clutching a loudly screaming infant.

In true pastoral fashion the Bishop stopped his homily to say: "Please do not worry, your baby is not bothering us".

The mother responded: "Maybe not Bishop but you are clearly bothering him".

What Bishop Conry is also unaware of is the fact that his homilies have this effect on most traditional Catholics in his Diocese.

As put downers go this must rank pretty high.

The remaining infants in the church, presumably held back from walking out, perhaps should receive some sort of Vatican medal as a reward for their fortitude.

"My life is but a weaving....."

A weaving between the Lord and me

A good friend sent me this poem and it has stayed with me, preying on my mind and focussing my thoughts.

I am not normally a fan of "Christian" poetry; you know - the sort written by people called Charity Lovesall.

But this poem has resonance.....do you agree?

My life is but a weaving

Between the Lord and me;

I may not choose the colours–

He knows what they should be.

For He can view the pattern

Upon the upper side

While I can see it only

On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaves in sorrow,

Which seems so strange to me;

But I will trust His judgment

And work on faithfully.

‘Tis He who fills the shuttle,

And He knows what is best;

So I shall weave in earnest,

And leave to Him the rest.

Not ’til the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed

In the Weaver’s skilful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

Anon

The real barrier to the Latin Mass?

Not without prayer!

A few weeks ago I posted on the topic of young priests saying the Latin Mass, or rather, why more young priests do not say the Old Mass. You may refresh your memories HERE.

Of course I belaboured the Bishops and the liberal majority but it was a note from a priest friend that made me take a closer look at the main impediment to the return of Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

My priest friend (PF) stated that it was all too often the Parish Priest who blocked the way, and after some head scratching I think that he is correct.

In parishes where there is a Senior Priest and an assistant priest (what we used to quaintly call 'a curate') then it goes without saying that the junior partner defers to the senior.

And most 'Senior Partners' were probably ordained in the fresh and heady times of the aftermath of Vatican II when change was the thing and babies were being chucked out along with the bath water.

Now that those young ordinands of the 70s and 80s have established themselves comfortably in the rather relaxed mode of modern Holy Mother Church, it is, perhaps, asking too much of them to revert to a Mass that they must surely feel uncertain of.

Liturgically, the EF is a world apart from the OF and to have to swallow one's pride and actually take lessons in the offering of the Mass must be a galling prospect.

Worse still to wake up on a Monday morning to find that the curate has forgotten to return the sanctuary to its OF format and that the altar is facing the 'wrong way' and that the front row of pews has been moved forward to act as communion rails.

It is quite natural for the PP to expect the curate fall in line with his own wishes and only the power of prayer (and time) will resolve the situation.

I sometimes think that we at the traditional end of HMC forget what a potent weapon we have in the Rosary and that a regular group meeting up to say the Rosary together would bring about more of a change of attitude than all the letters to the Bishop and beyond.

True or false?