We are a week and a half into the second lockdown caused by the coronavirus.  The first lockdown was unknown territory and because of that it had its fascinations.  The second time round it`s old hat and much more boring than before.  I still go shopping to the supermarket, and if I`m sick of the inside of the house, I can go out for a drive round the country lanes. Some of you can`t do this because of being housebound or ill or both.  Some people are frightened of going out. Some people are stuck in with children and work and not enough time to get through all the things they`ve got to do.

During this difficult time, let`s keep each other in mind and in our prayers.  Let`s pray that the vaccine which is emerging will be what is needed to get the virus under control, and its distribution among us will be swift and efficient.  I think we`ve got to hope and pray that the vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel and that by Easter we will no longer be living under the shadow of coronavirus.  The gospel is the parable of the talents which is about spiritual growth; let`s pray that there will have been some spiritual growth because of lockdowns and so on. There will be all sorts of difficulties to face in the aftermath of the virus but hopefully there will have been some spiritual/human growth as well.