“A star shone forth in heaven above all the other stars, the light of which was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star, and its light was exceedingly great above them all.

And there was agitation felt as to whence this new spectacle came, so unlike to everything else in the heavens. Hence every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was removed, and the old kingdom abolished, God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life.”

St Ignatius of Antioch - letter to the church at Ephesus.

Our featured artwork is a drawing by the Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher, renowned for his mathematically inspired woodcut prints and drawings. In this piece, two birds are intertwined, their forms drawn with a sense of infinity, symmetry, and continuity.

These qualities mirror the essence of a loving relationship, making it a fitting image for Valentine’s Day.

Palm Sunday

Now to the gate of my Jerusalem, the seething holy city of my heart, the saviour comes. But will I welcome him?

Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start; they raise their hands, get caught up in the singing, and think the battle won.

Too soon they’ll find the challenge, the reversal he is bringing changes their tune.

I know what lies behind the surface flourish that so quickly fades; self-interest, and fearful guardedness, the hardness of the heart, its barricades, and at the core, the dreadful emptiness of a perverted temple.

Jesus come break my resistance and make me your home.

by Malcolm Guite. Poet in residence - Church Times

pollybrown@mottramparish.org.uk

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