Last night the revolting and unkind ‘bruvvereccles’ took an utter unnecessary swipe at Bernadette Farrell for writing this, which was published in The Tablet: –
For those of you not familiar with Bernadette’s work she is primarily known for her hymn writing. Her composition Christ Be Our Light was the entrance hymn at my ordination, chosen mainly because of the final line “let us be servants to one another making your kingdom come”. Quite the opposite of the ‘lets try and exclude those that don’t like the same things as us’ attitude displayed by bruvvereccles and his fangirl toadies. (opps! now I’ve done it, my bad)
Bernie was also instrumental in starting http://www.citizensuk.org/ well, I say instrumental, it was her idea and her energy that has now helped thousands upon thousands of people. As South London Citizens (in the early days) Citizens helped establish the concept of the living wage as opposed to the minimum wage.
Her work for peace with Margaret and Barry Mizen has been breathtaking. Bernie was there with the Mizens when the raw acute pain of losing Jimmy was under a worldwide spotlight. I’d bet my spectacles none of the EFTs have done any such work.
Yesterday’s swipe is made all the more odious when one considers the recent dreadful personal health issues Bernie, and her husband Owen have had to endure, just about as bad as it gets for the parent of any teenager. But of course this would not stop bruvvereccles.
Bernadette Farrell has made life and liturgy better for others, she continued to do this while facing something no one should face.
bruvvereccles is a bitter and twisted old neverwas (other than a has been) and that bitterness shows in almost every tweet. In his Nicomachean Ethic, Aristotle tells us one can be judged by the company one keeps. I will take this entirely on board. Any EFTs are no longer my friends, like a bishop asks at an ordination, they are not considered worthy.
An idiot on board 
The only comment I would like to make is that it’s high time you developed a sense of humour.
to second katie “….and so say all of us”
“us” ? I think most of us have had enough of “us”- a self-appointed, self-referential, deeply unhappy bunch of trolls. Perhaps if you all spent a little less time feeling so miserable, you might start to like yourselves a bit more, and hence, start to love others.
Stop being so hard on yourselves.
Very well said, Tony. The person behind Eccles is pure poison. Call it out for what it is. You do have a sense of humour, as do I, but this is not humour. It is cruel, and deliberately so. The whole gang shares the same mind-set. They wouldn’t know what love is if it bit them on the ass. Note that when the “humour” is directed towards them, they can’t cope. ……..
Pray for them. They are an unjoyful lot.
Or the satire if you recall
Of course. When Eccles is doing the abusing it is “satire”. Satanism, more like.
My prayers are with the Farrell family for the appalling abuse this man has aimed at them today. Perhaps he has no family and so has no idea of what it means to love others.
Clearly you know who it is too then.
“Any EFTs are no longer my friends … they are not considered worthy”. Wowsers! Does this involve a tad of over-reaction and one or two other matters?
Satire is an old, established medium, which is employed with gusto in the Bible. And, if you participate in the public arena, then you’re liable to be a target for satire. Even if you write hymns.
I’m really tempted to add some vitriolic comments. But instead, reverent sir, may I suggest the practice of never sending an email or posting on a blog while one is angry?
Jill C, I sent a link to the email address you supplied, it bounced back, I don’t work with anons, thank you.
Hi Tony, after giving this some thought, I think what you’ve done here is to conflate interaction with implicit support of all another does.
Social media is an odd medium and I personally interact with many folk others would find offensive or disagreeable. That doesn’t indicate support for their ideologies / political leanings / peculiar proclivities / odd personalities / modus operandi etc.
I follow and interact with them for a plethora of reasons.
I have also unfollowed folk for a plethora of reasons.
However, I personally choose not to make that public as you have.
I’m disappointed to be regarded as one of the ‘unworthy’ by virtue of ‘guilty by association’, especially after all of our personal interaction and the support you’ve kindly given me over recent time, but that is your call and that is the great thing about social media; namely, we can choose with whom we interact.
That’s it really.
Take care.
Stuart
Thank you for taking the time to reply Stuart. As you know, my family have endured attacked by Eccles and his like. The fact that Eccles has removed things each time I have asked him does not negate the fact that my family have been attacked by him and other anon profiles.
Seeing the attack on Bernadette Farrell, considering she has acted more greatly in persona Christi than Eccles has been seen to do, I thought was a particularly low blow. From time to time, even though I have blocked him he still appears on my time line. I am not willing to take this risk further.
Please don’t think I am not aware of what I am sacrificing to avoid this profile which I cannot deem as anything than unkind. if I am wrong this is a fault in me, I will ask forgiveness on the day of judgement. I have sought to make peace with Eccles but that hand has been bitten, I have also sought to make peace with others that interacted with him on this matter, in one instance it was agreed we’d just leave each other alone only for another swipe to be taken.
In walking away I am leaving good things behind, I am aware of that, but as Christ said “if your hand causes you to sin……”
God bless to you and yours
Tony
“Perhaps he has no family..”
Gosh – can this really be true?!? I’ve been wanting to adopt him for so long, but was held back by the thought of one or two of his relatives moving in as well – not sure we could afford to keep them all.
His post ‘Design your own pope” is a true classic, and the thought of it still makes me laugh. Not sure who you are, but pleased to learn that you follow his blog. There is hope for us all!