March 2020 newsletter

In many parts of the world this is a strange and disturbing time. Everyone’s situation is different, everyone’s needs are different. It is impossible to say the right thing to everyone (or even to anyone) in a newsletter that is sent out to thousands of anonymous addresses. But let me say two things.

First, at a time when populations are being epidemiologically added, multiplied, counted, almost (it seems) weighed, remember that you are not “1.0 units of population”. You are a person called into being uniquely by God because without you, the masterwork of Creation in all its splendour would have had something missing.

Second, you have been anointed a priest, and anointed a prophet, and anointed a king. It took place a long time ago at your baptism and you were probably not paying attention, but it did happen and now is the time to live those anointings.

As priest, you can open yourself to those you come across, and bear witness to the infinite value of their being and to the love of God for them. You can be there for them and with them, you can be quiet together, or even listen. There is nothing like an open heart and a safe pair of ears.

As prophet, your voice must not be embarrassed to tell of the wonders of the Lord. Do not keep the truth of your faith secret for fear of derision. As long as people do not feel they are being preached at, you will find them remarkably tolerant. Do not expect the seed to grow before your eyes – that is God’s job done in God’s time – but do at least sow and scatter it.

As king – to see how to live your anointing, see first what a king is. Think of a gardener who is at the service of his plants and his crops, which he feeds and weeds and waters; then think of a king who at the service of everybody, keeping them safe and orderly free from want. The gardener serves whoever owns the garden; the king serves whoever owns the universe. Whoever and wherever you are, you are in some sense king of something. And we are all of us servants of each other. The more we do it, the easier it becomes.

Praying the Rosary

The Rosary is part of all the Universalis apps, both for Android and for iOS. You will find it among the other pages in the “Hours” menu.

If you are blind, then here are some instructions for getting into Universalis using VoiceOver on the iPhone or iPad, and for getting to the Rosary page. We are very grateful to a Universalis and VoiceOver user, Adrienne Chalmers, who recorded them for us!

There is also a Play button at the bottom left of the screen of the Rosary page, which will play you the audio of the Rosary being said by the pupils and community at Downside Abbey and School. We are asking Adrienne to see how accessible that audio is for blind users.

 

Buying Universalis in Nigeria

Quite a few people in Nigeria have difficulty buying Universalis, whether from one of the app vendors (Apple, Amazon, or Google Play) or directly from us in the form of a registration code. This is down to the policies of the vendors, or, in the case of the registration code, the policies of our credit card processor, WorldPay. We cannot do anything about it directly.

However, if you are in Nigeria and you are having a problem, there is another way round.