Tag: Latton
Photos by Julia & Piers of Jack Frost’s current visit to Latton Church.
and a poem by Mr G
Jack Frost called today
Hoar, feathering the trees
crystallising the branches
crisp and sparkling;
whilst on the ground
dusting, cold fingers
tentacles of ice
flitting over plant leaves
and remnant flowers
who catch their breath
before sleeping.
Snow may follow,
as nature wraps
its winter blanket.
Embracing hibernation.
Not dead, not dying
but waiting.
[Mr G. 11th December 2022]
Mamma Fox
Some followers of this blog will be familiar with photos of the ‘Latton Foxes’ which we have published from time to time. The antics of last year’s fox cubs was particularly fun.
The foxes live in the garden of Latton Vicarage and they have received regular care from Vicar Lynn – who also took the photographs.
She has kept them well fed with ‘Mamma Fox’ being the go between as you carried the food from the Vicarage to the far end of the garden. It’s a great take-away service! The foxes are especially fond of eggs, some chicken (shop bought, not the product of scavenging) and jam sandwiches.
Sadly, Mama fox has disappeared and after over 12 days of absence we have to presume that she has died, maybe as a victim of a road accident.
Lynn says that she arrived in the garden as a cub in 2017.
She has lived in our garden since then and has had 4 sets of cubs here in the last 4 years. Her 4 cubs from this years’ litter are still living here and we are taking good care of them. They are getting very big now!
We miss her so much. She was here snoozing in the afternoons and loved to have a raw egg and some other bits from us.
Not everyone loves foxes but those who have been following their antics have come to see the Latton Foxes as rather special. Through the photos people have built up quite a following both on this blog, other postings and the church facebook page.
Mamma Fox in particular gave us a picture of motherhood which was both delightful and salutary. Almost the last photo that I have posted of her was when she was washing one of her cubs with a tenderness that was rather beautiful.
Of course, we can simply say that she was just doing her duty and in both animal and human kingdom, care and protection of the young is what we creatures do.
I agree but there was something more about Mamma. Something which St. Francis would understand as would the Desert and Celtic saints of earlier times.
It could easily be called, Spiritual.
I was reading something about this recently.
What do foxes mean spiritually?
According to the Celtic religious belief, the fox is an animal that serves as a spirit guide and can assist you to find your way through the afterlife
As a spirit animal, the fox reveals itself during times of great and unpredictable change. With its heightened sense of awareness, the fox compels you to turn up your own senses, gather the information you need, and act swiftly on your decision. The fox symbolizes mental responsiveness.
That not only tells us something about our present time of turmoil in the world but also about how the fox can teach us to respond.
St. Francis points to animals’ roles as reflections of God’s love, the inherent value they possess, the interconnectedness humans have with all of God’s creatures and humankind’s misunderstanding of “dominion” as described in the Book of Genesis.
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another,” Francis wrote, later adding that God giving humans dominion over the Earth doesn’t justify “absolute domination over other creatures.”
This was a view echoed by his namesake, Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’ (Praise him) At one point, the pope lamented development projects that do not consider the impact on biodiversity, “as if the loss of species or animals and plant groups were of little importance.”
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis states, “The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point of arrival, which is God, in that transcendent fullness where the risen Christ embraces and illumines all things.”
“Eternal life will be a shared experience of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take its rightful place“ (Laudato Si)
Pope Francis also said that he couldn’t envisage heaven without animals and birds.
Creation belongs to God and it would be very arrogant of us to believe that we have sole rights to be there. Or even soul rights! How boring that would be for God!
Mamma’s family are still with us. One of her daughters from last year appears to be stepping up but we will miss her and hope that she is in God’s hands.We thank God for creating Mamma Fox who brought us such joy and thank you to Lynn who shared that joy with us.
‘Even birds and animals have much they could teach you;
ask the creatures of earth and sea for their wisdom.
All of them know that the Lord’s hand made them.
It is God who directs the lives of his creatures;
everyone’s life is in his power’.
Job 12:7-10
[Mr G, Lynn and others]
Readers of this blog last summer may recall that the Foxes which make their home in the garden of the Vicarage at St Mary-at-Latton, Harlow, featured in some of the postings. Mama Fox has now returned with a new partner and very shortly we expect to see the little ones cavorting in their summer playground.
No doubt we shall include photos on the blog. Meanwhile, anticipation got me thinking about Foxes.
A little bit about the Fox.
It must be said that the Fox doesn’t get a good press in The Bible. References are mainly derogatory. Of the two references made by Jesus, one compares the puppet King Herod to a fox – Luke 13:32 – “Go tell that Fox…”. The other reference, of course, in Luke 9:58 when Jesus spoke of the fox having a hole in the ground, whereas he nowhere to lay his head. In Matthew 8, where Jesus used the same words, it was part of a response to a Scribe who wanted to follow Jesus wherever he would go. Jesus warned him that following as a disciple would mean giving up all the comforts and security of his life. Here the fox is used as an illustration rather than a negative comment.
Later views of the Fox varied. In much of Europe the fox was thought to be a sly, cunning, crafty and generally up to no good. In the Far East, the fox was regarded as tricky and deceitful.
St. Francis, with his deep love of the animal world, was interested in the welfare and safety of all creatures and wasn’t specifically concerned for the fox.
It was the Irish Christian church, which we now refer to as Celtic, who had favourable stories about foxes. They referred to the fox as being sometimes naughty but on the whole capable of reform.
St. Cieran, for example, founded a monastery where all the brothers were animals – so legend has it. He believed that all could be reformed, ever Brother Fox and Brother Badger! Some might return to their old ways but could be brought back to the straight and narrow path.
This view is echoed in a conversation between the little Prince and the fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s tale, ‘The Little Prince’*
Finally, many of you will know the book by Charlie MackesyThe Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. *
It’s another way of meeting the Fox in a new and special way.
** The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’ is available in a number of editions
** The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy published by Ebury Press RRP. £16.99
Mr G's Ponderings 