Celebrating Cecilia

Good to learn from the early news that the Israeli war cabinet has accepted the agreed hostage exchange and humanitarian pause arrangements. In the late night news it was announced that the exchange will start on Friday morning. In the meanwhile the assault on Gaza continues. Hamas medical authorities now report 14,000 deaths. An Israeli military spokesman claims that around 400 entrances to the underground network of 200 miles of tunnels hidden in houses schools medical centres and other public buildings all over Gaza have been destroyed, and that the proportion of civilian to military casualties is not high as it has been in other conflicts. As if that could justify taking any vulnerable civilian lives at all. 

One of the West Bank Palestinian leaders, Mustapha Bargouti has stated in his second interview in two days that 14,000 children have died. I don't think this is anything to do with his command of English, but rather a deliberate misleading allegation. Truth is the first casualty in war. Nothing said by either side can be relied upon as fact, though I think the assertion that two thirds of the Gaza victims are women and children, whatever the actual death toll is.

After breakfast, I went to St Catherine's to celebrate the Eucharist with eight others, celebrating St Cecilia, which meant I needed to do some homework on her story before going to church. I learned that she's the patron saint of musicians, as she sang with the musicians playing at her wedding ceremony. She was of Roman nobility in a marriage arranged with Valerian, a pagan. He promised to honour her desire to remain a virgin dedicated to Christ, and kept his word. Under her inspiration he was baptized by Pope Urban and murdered soon after, likewise Cecilia. It's unlike stories of other virgin martyrs who simply refused to get married and died as a result. Echoes of St Paul mentioning that in a marriage between a Christian and a pagan, a loving marriage can lead to the conversion of a pagan spouse.

After coffee, I collected this week's veggie bag on my way home. Clare was already cooking a chick pea curry when I got back for lunch. I did the week's grocery shopping at the Co-op straight after, and noticed that 'Jalo and Stitch' the small tailoring repair shop opposite the Co-op was open. I went in and enquired about getting the sleeves on my jacket mended. Half an hour later, I returned with the jacket, and now look forward to wearing it again in a couple of weeks time. I walked until it got dark, then worked on a sermon for Sunday next. Clare went out to Diana's book launch, and then to her Plygain session, leaving me to my own devices. I spent the evening relaxing, watching episodes of 'The Sketch Artist' and then this week's new 'Shetland' episode.