St. Edmund's Church, Beckenham

Today’s first reading is from Job chapter 7. The figure of Job, shown here, is one of the most fascinating in the Old Testament. Some may feel very worn down by work at the moment, possibly seeing it as pointless drudgery, as he does in the reading. Next Sunday is kept as a special Day of Prayer for the Unemployed; today’s readings prompt us to reflect on Catholic teaching about the dignity and value of human work. In May this year at St Mary’s University we hope to put on, in one way or another, an international conference to mark the 130th anniversary of the encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII from 1891 about the plight of industrial workers, known by its Latin title ‘Rerum Novarum’. As well as looking again at what the pope wrote we will be considering current day challenges about the world of work, particularly as a result of the pandemic. Among speakers will be Philip Booth, Matthew Taylor, Tina Beattie, Clifford Longley, Will Hutton, Mary McAleese, Ian Linden, Anthony Towey, Francis Davis, Austen Ivereigh, Christopher Lamb and Bishop William Kenney. More details to follow.

God bless and take care

Fr Ashley