Below is the sermon from St. Nicholas Church, Adare, on Sunday, 15 March 2020, the Sunday following restrictions being imposed on public gatherings in Ireland because of Covid-19.

My husband, Kirk, and I have a saying, or a joke, about the season of Lent. It is that Lent happens to you whether you plan for it to or not. Even if you had not thought of giving up something, or taking on something for Lent, Lent will still happen to you.

Right now, Lent is happening to us all. The purpose of Lent is to reveal to us what it is that gets between us and God, what in our lives needs to change, especially in our relationships with God and each other. Lent is happening to us because of the Covid-19 virus. Its appearance in Europe pretty much coincided with the beginning of Lent on February 26…