大象传媒

From the Reverend Richard Coles:

听

I was in Glasgow on Monday to take part in Impossible!, 大象传媒1鈥檚 Saturday night quiz show, in which three tiers of celebrities, generously defined, go down like ducks at a fairground shooting range. That鈥檚 a lot of celebrities to get through; and so my day off was spent sandwiched between legends of vintage pop, a Banjo brother, an Arsenal legend, and my new pal, whom I thought was called Neil when we were introduced, but it was actually Eyal. I remember him especially because he was inconceivably, unbelievably, impossibly handsome: at his appearance, the dreich shades of January lifted, dead pot plants put forth scented blooms, and the ships鈥� hooters on the Clyde played This Charming Man. We fell into conversation, and he told me he came from Love Island. 鈥淲hat a picturesque name鈥�, I said, 鈥渨here鈥檚 that?鈥�

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The telly programme, of course, which I鈥檝e never seen, but I thought I鈥檇 better get a selfie pronto, and so I did. When Eyal saw it he took the phone from my hand and did another, expertly, so that my face no longer looked like an overripe Camembert that had rolled across a pub carpet, even next to his, with a smile so dazzling a wave of pheromones stupefied Clydeside.

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A bold step to attempt, from Love Island to the Feast of Candlemas, which the church celebrates tomorrow; but here goes. Looking at that selfie, the thought of Simeon sprang unbidden to mind. In the Bible story he鈥檚 an old Temple priest, ancient and blind, waiting for salvation, whatever that might look like. And - finally - there it is, in front of him, looking like a new born baby, the forty day old Jesus, brought by Joseph and Mary in accordance with Jewish law: a sight so dazzling, it blinds the sighted, but restores sight to the blind, and Simeon departs content.

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Now - for the avoidance of doubt - I鈥檓 not mistaking a contestant on Love Island for salvation; but I am saying sometimes you need to see something. Sometimes it鈥檚 only when the truth is standing right in front of you that you get it: not explained, not described, not spelled out - but just there, and illuminating a world you had only begun to imagine.