A Topical Blog from Fr Jeremy
What is an essential business?
I went to take my VW Fox for it’s latest MOT on Monday. It’s that time of year when the car has to be taxed, go through it’s MOT and have a service. It’s owner also goes through his MOT for his diabetic checks and as both owner and car are not getting any younger, the owner gets that little more nervous about the outcome of human and mechanical MOT’s as the years go by! I haven’t heard back from the surgery yet as to the results for the human MOT aside from an email from my doctor saying that there are benefits to reducing the number of carbs in my diet! As for my delightful Fox, yes it passed again as it enters it’s twelfth year.
On entering the garage Peter the owner and I discussed what business could stay open. Obviously we need cars on the road even though we are not meant to travel far for our exercise but many folk still need their cars for travel to work. Peter said yes we are a business providing an essential service. I replied that I noticed that Majestic Wine were considered an essential service and he laughed and said ‘well they are for people in your vocation!’ His assistant laughed, as did I. The conversation and the move towards the communion wine got me thinking about ‘Only Fools and Horses’ again. I think it was the one where Del Boy struck up a relationship with a local parish priest trying to save a few bob for parish outlay (Can’t remember if it was a Street floor!). Anyway Del thinking he can see a window of opportunity, suggests to Fr Innocent that he can provide some reasonably priced communion wine.
From memory this was part one of a Christmas special which led to Del and Rodney spending time with the Mafia in Miami. On their return from their relaxing vocation (lockdowns can keep you safe you know!) Del having faced all kind of threats from Marlon Brando and Al Pacino returns home to be faced with an angry Fr Innocent standing by a lorry load of Riesling or a similar wine, pale in complexion!
As for essential services well we at All Saints have decided to return to on-line church despite the fact that the Government this time think we might be offering valuable hope to people. However, when we look at the numbers of people in Windsor and Maidenhead with Covid we have thought it safer to close the church for in person services. Sadly we will not be having to order vast quantities of communion wine in the near future. We do hope though that we can get Street’s tiles fixed during the closure and at the same time some of you might join us on zoom services to keep in contact.
Blessings,
Fr Jeremy
Please follow Fr Jeremy's Regular Blogs on Wordpress which can be found HERE