Affliction and Tribulation

Our Scripture Class this morning departed a bit from study of the Service Proper (the appointed Collect, Epistle and Gospel) to instead study John 16:33(b). Fr. Daniel must have felt a little bit afflicted because when we arrived late (due to our own tribulations this morning) it was a class of one -- Nancy. (It is not surprising that our numbers would be low on the weekend preceding the "beginning of summer" Memorial Day holiday tomorrow.) But he'd already filled in the Greek and was going through it.

So much in one sentence! Discussions went briefly into the contrast with the "prosperity gospel," but then on to Foxe's Voices of the Martyrs, an updated (and beautifully bound) copy of which Fr. Daniel just received and which is now in the church Library. (Reading a bit online, I chanced on the martyrdom of Bishops Ridley and Latimer, about which I'd read before but not in this much detail. This is obviously not a book for the faint of heart...)

I was going to comment here on Fr. Daniel's subsequent joke regarding our processional hymn #296, which he had intended us to sing to a familiar tune rather than afflicting us with something completely unknown, but he'd forgotten to tell our organist. I don't think we did badly at all -- but it certainly pales to insignificance after what I just read...