On a moderately cold and damp Saturday night, faithful worshippers make their way to a brightly-lit Westminster Cathedral for the celebration of Midnight Mass, a feast to mark the birth of Christ our Saviour.
At the conclusion of mass, several make their way to observe and pray at the crib which on this occasion was a modest affair, much in the way as Jesus himself was born into this world.
As those gathered began to journey home, they were met by Archbishop Vincent Nichols in the Cathedral Piazza. A good shepherd tending to his flock making this a blessed and memorable occasion.
Merry Christmas Everyone
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
The season of Advent
originated as a fast of forty days in readiness for Christmas though nowadays
Christians are not by practice, expected to enter a period of fasting. As in
Lent however, Advent remains a penitential season. Purple is worn as a colour
for instance. For Gaudete Sunday which is the third Sunday in the season, there
is a relaxation of the penitential observances as more focus is placed on the joyful anticipation of the birth of
Christ. Gaudete means Rejoice so Gaudete Sunday fittingly is a day of bright lights greeting the early worshippers seen here as they prepare to join in the celebration of mass.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
60 days have passed since
the Occupy London Stock Exchange camp was established. With the location of
it’s initial target being in privately-owned Paternoster Square which had been
sealed off by the police, the camp was set up in the vicinity of St Paul’s
Cathedral as a peaceful demonstration against economic inequality, social
injustice and corporate greed along with other inconsistencies in the society
of today. Initially the cathedral was happy for the right to protest to be
exercised peacefully outside the building to the extent of asking the police to
leave the area. Then within a two week period the cathedral closed it’s doors
on the grounds of health and safety concerns surrounding the camp only to
reopen them a week later when these issues had been addressed. Disagreements as
to how the continued presence of the camp should be handled resulted in the
resignations of the canon Dr Giles Fraser, the part-time chaplain and finally
the dean of the cathedral in a show of dissent against the cathedral’s
intention to join the City of London Corporation in a forced eviction of the
protestors. Since then and while the Corporation continued to adopt a position
to remove the camp, the cathedral had distanced itself from a position of actively
seeking to remove the protestors given that the debate promoted by the demonstration appears to have support from leading members of the Church of England including the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
Opinion on where the
cathedral actually stands though is divided with the latest reports it has provided the City of
London Corporation a dossier complaining of graffiti, soiling of the grounds of
the cathedral and alcohol-fuelled noise levels. The statement provided also
noted that more than half of the school parties originally scheduled to visit
the building had been cancelled owing to safety concerns. The cathedral is
believed to be frustrated that attention appears to be focusing more on the
camp itself than the message it hopes to deliver and it’s officials have said
that it has proposed other ways by which the protestors could continue their
demonstration and added that it would consider providing a similar witness
statement backing up the cause of the camp if requested. In the meantime the cathedral and it's surroundings remain a constant draw to visitors to the city, those who work locally who along with the protestors form a part of the tapestry of life in St Paul's Churchyard.
Quite where all the changes of direction with officials of the cathedral lead is a little confusing but each day that passes brings us all closer to
the first major celebration of the church’s year, that being the anniversary of
the birth of Christ. What would Jesus have made of the persistent
irregularities of today’s financial system and the manner by which it remains
unchecked. Christ even as a young boy raised questions with the elders
at the synagogue. If believers are to follow his example, should searching enquiries not be made of the state of society today? On the matter of the apparent impasse in the City during this
season of Advent, the words of the written message on one of the original signs of the camp are sure to echo continuously amongst attentive consciences while the elements of this real life story play out in the arena where those who seek to pray and those who come for profit go about their daily schedules, “ What would Jesus do? "
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
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