This is a time of transition, the centralisers always tell us. They tell us that they are increasing our chance of democratic decision-making, but to do so, they have to make some changes which they must take for us. Power will soon be returned to you, they claim. This transition, this state of emergency, is just temporary. The changes are unilaterally foisted on us because we do not speak up and protest, and each failure to speak up makes them stronger and us weaker. The centralisers don’t want feisty, independent people. They want malleable, easily-directed people. So it is never a good idea to ‘see what our leaders decide for us’. Those in positions of authority who tell us this, are telling us that we have no authority of our own. We do. They may not deny it. We have authority. They have no authority to tell us that we have no authority. This authority was given to us in our baptism, when we were made Christians, and as Christians, we first come to share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ. Parishes can be amalgamated only because the people in each parish have got out of the habit of saying morning and evening prayer. There is no one at the altar rail in the mornings in these churches, no one performing their public office as Christians, so the churches are not being used, and occasional services apart, are effectively closed. The lights are off and no one can see where they are going. The church is stumbling around in the dark and, as a consequence, our society is stumbling around in the dark. The darkness grow with the huge amount of artificial lighting emitted by every building and every electronic device. Only the Christian hunched over bible and then singing and praying before the altar lit by one candle can see where we are all going. Those who do not pray to God, of course, unwittingly direct prayers to other forces which are only too ready hear and take advantage. Those who appeal to anyone other than God are surrendering themselves to forces without pity.
