Sigh!

Since this germ was kindly given to me, way back in early December, luck has been with me.  Luck?  I mean Bad luck.  The strange side effects that bedevilled me for a fortnight, the cough which followed and only now looks like abating (my neighbours downstairs will be glad) and then there are the little things.
The light went out in the fridge freezer.  The whole thing appeared to stop.  This meant removing stuff and placing it in the landlords fridge, which has not been touched in years and needing wiped when I was exhausted and it was late at night (see neighbours again).   It turned out the fridge freezer works OK, so all has to go back, no cleaning attempted this time, and the light is still out as the plastic surround will not come off! 
The mouse returned.
The mouse's appearance so frightened the lass next door she has forced her man to leave move her out.  I hear a child is on the way and she is neurotic about babies attacked by mice.  Hmmm.  The landlord had a man in to deal with the mouse, I blocked up all I could and the mouse vanished.  Once I had confirmed he had gone he reappeared, apparently orange peel is attractive.  No more of that left for him.  
Once my back heals, ah yes my back.
At Christmas I aided an old man to stand, my right arm soon ached with the strain!  It still does, though much lessened.  Then I did my back in, this still aches but not so bad.  I am treating it gently however and it is healing.  And on top of this things keep falling apart.  Things fall on the floor and disappear, my glasses of course required renewing after I stood on them, packets are delivered by a postie who cannot knock loudly on the door and I have yet to get to the sorting office to collect it, and each time I am on the internet something goes wrong, pages vanish, strange messages appear, new spam piles up.
However, after a bad Saturday, full of aches and that dreary lurgii that leaves only a rotten feeling things have begun to improve.  The bug is clearing up I believe, my head is almost awake, and as I sat on my bed rejoicing last night I spilled a near full mug of tea across the bed.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Things are so bad I got a call from Sandringham today offering sympathy!

Talking of which I began to wonder what was hiding behind the hundreds of articles full of ignorant speculation in the media?  As fear of war recedes in the Gulf, at least until Trump pushes it again, the media need something to protect Boris.  What devious Bill is he offering behind the headlines, what important decision is not being given the space it deserves?  These are good days to hide bad news, and all Boris has to offer is news that will be bad for us.  We need to read the small stories also.

 Pope's

It never fails to surprise me how interested the secular media are when something happens with a Pope.  They disregard Christianity, speak against it, live lives totally opposed to it then offer long reports on radio and fill space in the media concerning the goings on.  Why?  All these folk do is declare their clear ignorance of the subject, spew forth this ignorance and yet take no time to learn or research the subject.  
This time there is an attempt to make out one ex-Pope is attacking the current Pope, although whether that is what he is doing is dubious.  The point concerns celibacy and the demand priests must be celibate.  Pope Francis has indicated he may allow some priests to be married in those far off areas where it is difficult to acquire priests.  Benedict objects possibly not because of the priests being married in this situation but that it may remove celibacy altogether from the church.  Such an idea goes way back into the past, a celibate man being dedicated to God more than a married one.
We have to ignore Roman Catholic teaching and seek scripture, no objection to marriage is found for the church leaders.  Paul indicates this does make life difficult for a man running a church but I suspect almost all leaders in the first 200  years were married with single men being rare.  
By the late 300's AD churches had changed.  Constantine had legalised the church, many found this a way to high position and in my mind this is where a separation of Priest and laity arises.  There appear to be many who wish to be among the ecclesiastical hierarchy and position themselves as priests and important men.  Celibacy is added, not just to offer commitment but possibly for a Greek sense of 'purity' that is not found in scripture.
We need not add surely that you will realise that a priest's job is to take your sacrifice and offer this to God, he gets in between you and God.  When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple enclosing the 'Holy of Holies' the residence of God himself, tore apart from top to bottom.  This showed the way to God fro each individual was now open, but only through the Great High Priest Jesus Christ.  He is both the sacrifice and the high priest, anyone who stands between you and God calling himself priest is a false priest!      
Indicating this to Anglicans, who have now dropped the term 'Vicar' and replaced it with 'Priest in charge' brings lots of silent looks.  Indicating this to RC's may bring much more.
Jesus made no rule but in Matthew 19 he indicates marriage is for life, not just until you get fed up, and some will be single for a variety of reasons.  The disciples at the time thought long term marriage a hard thing, most may well have been married.  People get married and remains single for many reasons, sometimes love, but there is no, and can be no demand to be celibate.  Indeed one scripture indicates those who demand this are a danger, possibly  Greek influence. I forget where it is found.
The two Popes would be better off ignoring the celibacy thing and spend time reading scripture, putting aside false church teaching and following Jesus instead of debates about that which is quite clear to most other churches.