The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher and skill to console the weary with a word in the morning; he sharpened my hearing that I might listen like one who is taught. (Isaiah 50:4)

Thus goes the translation in A Christian’s Prayer Book: Psalms, Poems and Prayers for the Church’s Year (Franciscan Herald Press, Chicago, 1972). Our monastic community at Portsmouth (the one in New England, in the U.S.), uses a lovingly dog-eared copy of this book from which is read a canticle during our morning office of Matins/Lauds. Isaiah 50:4-8 is an option during Lent and, despite its brevity, the message ties in nicely with this issue’s story on EBC Shared Formation by Fr. Gabriel Everitt on page 9.

Bees and their business of cross-pollination are in the forefront of this issue, and elsewhere, at this time of year, and the same Christian Prayer Book includes within its pages a lovely meditation poem by Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) titled The Bee-Keeper. It merits your attention.
We encourage superiors to kindly suggest news stories of interest to members of the congregation, and to contribute obituaries and photographs. God’s abundant blessings to all throughout the coming Paschaltide.