A Saint for Unity Week

This morning, I had an early phone call from Pidgeon's funeral directors about a funeral at funeral at St John's which Emma isn't free to take on. I then walked down to St John's to celebrate the midweek Eucharist for a dozen people. Thank goodness I am still able to do some useful work. 

It's the feast of St Francois de Sales, the 17th century Bishop of Geneva in exile. This had me reminiscing with the congregation about visiting the basilica of the Visitation in Annecy where he and St Jane de Chantal are buried. His book 'Introduction to the Devout Life' written especially to nurture lay people's spirituality in the everyday world was the first of its kind. As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity nears its end, a saint whose teaching is appreciated ecumenically these days, and linked with Geneva, birthplace of the World Council of Churches, and neighbouring Haute Savoie is particularly appropriate. 

Sadly, as old wounds of division in the Body of Christ are healing new ones open. I am thinking of schism between Moscow and Kiev Patriarchates, between conservative fundamentalist evangelicals and the liberal mainstream. It's a pity that ecumenism doesn't get the same attention these days as it did when we were young. Nowadays it's being taken too much for granted, and the imperative to 'be reconciled' slips out of focus.

After returning home to cook lunch in time for Clare's arrival from her morning in the kindergarten, I went to Riverside Health Surgery for another dressing change. Later we went into town to browse aimlessly in the shops (on my part at least) and end up with tea in John Lewis'. A rather dull routine really, to punctuate the passage of time between today and operation day, supposedly three weeks from now. 

I can't help wondering if it will be postponed again and what I'll do if this happens. Becket's play 'Waiting for Godot' comes to mind. Or maybe Kafka's 'The Trial'. Three months delay has taken its toll in stress and weight loss. The gentle care and support of GPs and the District Nurse team keeps me from despair at the apparent indifference to suffering of both the hospital management and surgical team.