An immutable rule of my public service life was that the amount of work remaining to be done varied inversely with the time remaining before starting leave. No more is this felt than in Holy Week. The very week when the church invites us to be quiet and reflective is often the busiest work week of the year, with five days work done in less than four and everything “finished before Easter”, lest, after a four or five day break, we forget what we were doing.

Three days and nights in the tomb did not make Jesus forget his mission!
For singers and liturgists, the church is the same-music rehearsals, twice the usual amount of preaching, piles of copying and printing, cleaning of everything, cooking and serving of special meals, and much-organisation-of-everything.

And yet God is merciful, we always have energy for rejoicing. Allelujah! But lengthy, quiet reflection? I fear not. Maybe after Easter. Sigh. As for travelling at Easter-no thank you. Peace be with us.