The authorities at St Paul’s Cathedral are caught between a rock and a hard place. One (Rev Dr Giles Fraser who is a good friend of our old chaplain John Cooke) has resigned tonight, and another has been rushed to hospital. When they close the cathedral because of supposed health and safety reasons, are they serving God or mammon? As they prepare to sue the protesters for trespass, are they pleasing God or pleasing themselves? Are they giving appropriate priority to the poor? Are they protecting their staff and regular worshippers rather than the interests of the protesters?
A Times correspondent wrote ironically today: “We understand the mixed feelings of church people, caught between their scribes and Pharisees and the man who kicked over the money-lenders’ tables.” A rather different lesson can be learned from the lectionary Gospel reading last Sunday: we are to “love our neighbours as we love ourselves”. That is, the way we love ourselves (and our church building and our church community) is the benchmark for our love of others. Self-sacrifice is not the only model for behaviour.
We can all ask ourselves, What would we do if our church grounds were occupied by people with little or no respect for our interests, whatever their own agenda and needs?
