Time of trial - no let-up

As soon as I woke up I uploaded today's Morning Prayer, then an hour's Saturday lie-in with Clare followed by pancakes for breakfast. It was eight degrees and the sun shone through the clouds, so we went out for a walk around the Fields before lunch, just in case the rain returned later. Although we weren't aware of it, there must have been a lot of rain  overnight as there were huge pools of water on the saturated grass. The river Taff was running half a metre higher than yesterday afternoon.

Stricter controls are being introduced on supermarkets in Wales, imposing mask wearing and hand sanitization on entry. Many stores already did this before, when it was a highly recommended option, but things have got lax recently, and discipline needed tightening up. Takeaway orders have to be collected by appointment and delivered through a hatch at the door so people don't congregate indoors while waiting. 

Flights from Portugal and Brazil have been banned, due to another fast spreading covid variant in South America. Incoming passengers from other countries must have had a negative covid test three days before travelling, and quarantine for ten days on arrival. It's unfortunate that quarantining isn't strictly enforced in this country as it is in others. Needless to say, the infection and death rates continue to rise, although there are patchy indications around the country that rates are levelling off, including here in our locality, as a result of restrictions immediately after Christmas.

Listening to 'Any Answers' on the Radio after lunch, it was remarkable the number of callers responding to exchanges on last night's edition of 'Any Questions' expressed the view that the government pandemic responses had come too slowly and weren't strict enough, or you could just say - over cautious and not bold enough given the gravity of the situation. It's clear that a majority of people make an effort to stick within the guidelines, but there's also an awareness that some don't, either rebelling against restriction of any kind, or remaining wilfully ignorant and careless, taking unnecessary risks. 

Supermarket staff are facing abuse for stopping people on entry and asking them to wear masks. Police face resistance when intervening to break up illegal gatherings. Everyone is tired and demoralised by the continuing need to be vigilant and restrict their activities, and some people are getting sick or being made sicker because their lives, their jobs, their hopes for the future have come to a standstill. This is a 'time of trial' in the biblical sense that exposes our weaknesses as well as our strengths, acknowledged and hidden. I believe the Gospel of Jesus speaks to this condition and enables us to find inner strength to endure. What more, I wonder, can the church do to help people rediscover this vital truth?