8.5 million blog hits compared with the size of the Sahara Desert or the people of Nanjing

In the cold light of day, what does 8.5 million mean or signify?

Patrick Comerford

This blog has reached the monumental landmark of 8.5 million hits. The 8.5 million mark was passed some time this afternoon (14 July 2024), and, like all milestones such as this, it has come as a delight.

After I began blogging, it took until July 2012 to reach 0.5 million hits. This figure rose to 1 million by September 2013; 1.5 million in June 2014; 2 million in June 2015; 2.5 million in November 2016; 3 million by October 2016; 3.5 million by September 2018; 4 million on 19 November 2019; 4.5 million on 18 June 2020; 5 million on 27 March 2021; 5.5 million on 28 October 2021; 6 million over half a year later on 1 July 2022; 6.5 million on 6 February 2023; 7 million on 13 August 2023; 7.5 million on 29 November 2023; 8 million by 30 April 2024; and 8.5 million less than three months later today (14 July 2024).

This means that this blog continues to reach half a million readers in a four-to-seven month period, somewhere above 100,000 a month, up to 4,000 a day, and an average of over 800 hits for each post. In recent months, these figures have been exceeded on occasions, with a record 35,452 hits on one single day (28 May 2024), followed by 27,616 hits (11 May 2024), 26,974 (27 May 2024), 23,234 (3 September 2023), 22,436 (19 June 2024), 21,999 (4 September 2023), 15,936 (18 June 2024), 15,211 (7 September 2023), 15,193 (6 September 2023), 14,411 (20 June 2024), 13,362 (17 June 2024), 13,301 (11 December 2023), 11,733 (9 December 2023) 11,333 (5 September 2023), 10,785 (28 November 2023), 10,480 (10 May 2024), 10,276 (16 June 2024) and 10,187 (13 June 2024). At times in recent months, there have been 8,000 to 10,000 hits a day, and so far there have been about 79,000 hits this month (July 2024).

With this latest landmark figure of 8.5 million hits, I find myself asking: What do 8.5 million people look like? What would £8.5 million or €8.5 million buy? How vast is 8.5 million sq km? Indeed, what does 8.5 million of anything mean to the environment?

If this blog had one hit a minute, then 8.5 million minutes equals 16 years, 2 months and 2 days.

Some 8.5 million people aged 65 and over are income tax payers in the UK, a record number of pensioners, according to the latest HMRC figures. The Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney, said shortly before the election: ‘Millions are being hammered by Rishi Sunak’s retirement tax. The Conservative Party have forced the elderly and hardworking families to pick up the tab for their disastrous management of the economy.’

A recent survey shows that deceptive online retail tactics lead to 8.5 million people in Britain buying something they do not want or need or have come to regret.

There are 8.5 million people in some form of housing need in England and who cannot access the housing they need.

It is estimated that 8.5 million people die from various forms of cancer every year, with lung cancer the leading cause of cancer death.

An estimated 8.5 million watched President Joe Biden’s recent ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos.

Sierra Leone has a population of about 8.5 people, ranking 100th by population in the world.

New York City has a population of about 8.5 million people and covers an area of 302 square miles, making it the most populated city in the US.

The city of Nanjing in China has a population of about 8.5 million people.

Out of a total population of around 47 million people, nearly 8.5 million people in Sudan have been displaced.

In neighbouring Ethiopia, over 8.5 million people in seven regions are highly food insecure.

There are 8.5 million unemployed people in Turkey.

About 8.5 million people visit Saudi Arabia each year for Umrah this year.

Brazil has a geographical area of 8.5 million sq km and is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere and the world’s fifth-largest country.

The Sahara Desert also covers 8.5 million sq km or 5.5% of the earth’s surface and is the world’s largest desert.

Back in 2019, the European Commission ruled that the French government had to recover illegal state aid amounting to around €8.5 million from Ryanair.

An eye-watering £8.5 million was paid out to Thames Water bosses over the last three years. Over the same three-year period, the firm has dumped raw sewage into the River Wandle on 25 separate occasions.

Killaleigh Castle in Co Tipperary, a beautiful 16th century castle Set in a parkland estate of 300 acres but that is unoccupied and in need of complete renovation, was recently put on the market with an asking price of €8.5 million.

The Church of England awarded almost £8.5 million earlier this year to help Church projects that include parish renewal programmes, parish outreach and children’s and youth work in rural and urban areas. The awards were made in March by the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board.

Some years ago, CERN presented the analysis of the light curves of 8.5 million stars observed during two seasons by EROS (Experience de Recherche d'Objets Sombres), in the galactic plane away from the bulge.

Over the years, the half dozen most popular postings on this blog to date have been:

1, About me (1 May 2007), over 40,000 hits.

2, ‘When all that’s left of me is love, give me away’ … a poem before Kaddish has gone viral (15 January 2020), about 32,000 hits.

3, The Transfiguration: finding meaning in icons and Orthodox spirituality (7 April 2010), over 30,000 hits.

4, Readings in Spirituality: the novelist as a writer in spirituality and theology (26 November 2009), over 16,600 hits.

5, A visit to Howth Castle and Environs (19 March 2012), over 16,000 hits.

6, Raising money at the book stall and walking the beaches of Portrane (1 August 2011), over 12,000 hits.

When I think of 8.5 million hits, I think of 8.5 million people, 8.5 refugees, 8.5 million over-taxed pensioners, 8.5 million grains of sand in the Sahara, and 8.5 million stars. And today, once more, I am humble of heart rather than having a swollen head.

Killaleigh Castle, Co Tipperary, with an asking price of €8.5 million (Photograph: Sotheby's International Realty)

Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s, Hoddesdon, a Victorian church that goes back to the 14th century

The west end of Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s Church on Paul’s Lane, the parish church of Hoddesdon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Patrick Comerford

Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s Church on Paul’s Lane is the parish church of Hoddesdon in the Diocese of St Albans. Although Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire did not officially become a parish until the 1840s, the story of the church dates back to early 14th century, when Saint Katherine’s Chapel was built.

Until the 1840s, Hoddesdon was divided between the parishes of Broxbourne and Amwell, with the boundary roughly following the line of Lord Street, which leads to the High Leigh Conference Centre, where I spent much of last week.

William de la Marche, a parishioner, obtained permission from the King on 1336 to build a chapel. It stood in the centre of Hoddesdon, where the Clock Tower now stands. The permission specified building the chapel ‘anew’, which seems to imply it replaced an earlier building, although no record of an earlier chapel survives.

The chapel was dedicated to Saint Katherine and remained in use until the 18th century. It may have originally served as a place of worship for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, but later became a chapel of ease for the people of Hoddesdon.

The anomalous position of Hoddesdon had been noted as early as the Commonwealth period in the mid-17th century, when there were plans to form a parish, but these were shelved after the Restoration in 1660.

The chapel had become dilapidated by 1700. A decision was taken to sell one of its bells to buy a new clock. This gave rise to a local rhyme:

Parson Davis and Farmer Lock
Sold their bell to buy a clock.

This may refer to the Revd Hatton Davies, Vicar of Great Amwell, but the identity of Farmer Lock has never been established.

Christ the King surrounded by images of the Four Evangelists, seen at the west end of Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s Church in Hoddesdon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Robert Plomer, a prosperous local business figure, inherited Rawdon House by marrying into the Rawdon family. He built a new chapel of ease in Hoddesdon in 1732. The reason for this is unclear, but it seems to have stemmed from a quarrel with the Revd Phineas Rothwell, vicar of Broxbourne.

Plomer’s building now forms the nave of the present church building. His chapel remained in private ownership until 1820, when it was bought by the Church of England. It was consecrated in 1823 by the Bishop of London, William Howley, who later, as Archbishop of Canterbury, crowned Queen Victoria. The first priest-in-charge was the Revd Thomas Pickthall.

Meanwhile, the older Saint Katherine’s Chapel was described in the early 19th century as ‘misshapen by age.’ It was no longer in use when it was demolished in 1835 and it was replaced by the Clock Tower.

The Clock Tower in the centre of Hoddesdon stands on the site of the older Saint Katherine’s Chapel (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The idea of forming a parish in Hoddesdon was revived in 1843, and the first vicar was the Revd Richard William Morice. The burial ground was consecrated the following year, formally making Hoddesdon an ecclesiastical district. It officially became a parish in 1856.

From the founding of the parish until 1927Hoddesdon had only two vicars: Richard William Morice, who died in 1881, and Philip Esme Stuart Holland, who retired in 1921. Both were very popular locally, and Holland was a champion of ecumenical links long before this became acceptable or popular.

The seating capacity in the church, however, was inadequate. A parish meeting in 1860 decided to build a new church. However, sufficient subscriptions could not be raised, and instead the building was extended by adding a chancel and north and south aisles

The chancel and chapels were designed in early 13th century French Gothic style in 1864-1865 by the Gothic Revival architect Joseph Clarke (1819-1888). His other works include the chancel and tower at the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas in Littlemore, Oxford, the church founded by John Henry Newman.

Clarke’s work in Hoddesdon was completed in 1865, and the opening sermon was preached by the Bishop of Rochester.

The tower and steeple were added in 1887-1888 and are attributed to Sir Arthur Blomfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

A tower and steeple were added in 1887-1888 and are attributed to the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899). The campanile tower is in an unusual location on the centre of the south side of the church. It has open and blind lancets, a pyramid roof with hipped dormers, and an octagonal stair turret with a finial.

A peal of eight bells was donated in 1901 by the Christie family. At the dedication ceremony for the peal of bells, the church was formally dedicated to Saint Paul, a name perhaps influenced by the already-existing Paul’s Lane nearby.

The interior was modernised and re-ordered in 1976, when the Revd Percy Gandon was the Vicar, and the church was rededicated to Saint Catherine and Saint Paul.

The church hall is known as the Barclay Hall, recalling the Barclay family of High Leigh, where I was staying last week. It became a temporary vaccination centre during the covid pandemic, one of the first in the United Kingdom.

Apart from the works by Clarke and Blomfield, the church may not be not one the most architecturally interesting buildings in Hoddesdon But its history is tied in with the town as firmly as any mediaeval church, and it has a Grade 2* listing.

The previous vicar, the Revd Dr Rachel Pennant, is now chaplain to the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Revd Guli Francis-Dehqni. The Revd Mark Escott, Assistant Curate at Saint May's, Cheshunt, has been appointed the Vicar of Hoddesdon. His induction service is planned for 7 September 2024.

The east end of Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s Church on Paul’s Lane, the parish church of Hoddesdon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2024: 66, Sunday 14 July 2024, Trinity VII

The Execution of Saint John the Baptist … an early 18th century icon from the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Anopolis, in the Museum of Christian Art in the Church of Saint Catherine of Sinai in Iraklion in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar and today is the Seventh Sunday after Trinity (Trinity VII). Later this morning I hope to attend the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church in Stony Stratford. I need to find somewehere appropriate this evening to watch the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a reflection on the Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Herod’s daughter dances for the head of Saint John the Baptist … a fresco in the Church of Analipsi in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 6: 14-29 (NRSVA):

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ 15 But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’

17 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ 23 And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ 24 She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ 25 Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ 26 The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

The beheading of Saint John the Baptist … a fresco in the Church of Analipsi in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

This morning’s reflection:

It is about three weeks since we commemorated the Birth of Saint John the Baptist (24 June 2024). Now, today’s Gospel reading recalls his execution of Saint the Baptist.

This Gospel story is full of stark, cruel, violent reality. To achieve this dramatic effect, it is told with recall, flashback or with the use of the devise modern movie-makers call ‘back story.’

Cruel Herod has already executed Saint John the Baptist – long ago. Now he hears about the miracles and signs being worked by Jesus and his disciples.

Some people think that Saint John the Baptist has returned, even though John has been executed by Herod. Others think Jesus is Elijah – and popular belief at the time expected Elijah to return at Judgment Day (Malachi 4: 5).

On the other hand, Herod, the deranged Herod who has already had John beheaded, wonders whether John is back again. And we are presented with a flashback to the story of Saint John the Baptist, how he was executed in a moment of passion, how Herod grieved, and how John was buried.

Did you ever get mistaken for someone else? Or, do you ever wonder whether the people you work with, or who are your neighbours, really know who you are?

I am thinking of two examples. Anthony Hope Hawkins was the son of the Vicar of Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street, the Revd Edwards Comerford Hawkins. He was walking home to his father’s vicarage in London one dusky evening when he came face-to-face with a man who looked like his mirror image.

He wondered what would happen if they swapped places, if this double went back to Saint Bride’s vicarage, while he headed off instead to the suburbs. Would anyone notice? It inspired him, under the penname of Anthony Hope, to write his best-selling novel, The Prisoner of Zenda.

The other example I think of is the way I often hear people put themselves down with sayings such as: ‘If they only knew what I’m really like … if they only knew what I’m truly like …’

What are you truly like?

And would you honestly want to swap your life for someone else’s?

Would you take on all their woes, and angsts and burdens, along with their way of life?

It is a recurring theme for poets, writers and philosophers over the centuries. It was the theme in John Boorman’s movie The Tiger’s Tail (2006). Brendan Gleeson plays both the main character and his protagonist. Is he his doppelgänger, a forerunner warning of doom, destruction and death? Or is he the lost twin brother who envies his achievements and lifestyle?

The doppelgänger was regarded as a harbinger of doom and death. There is a way in which Saint John the Baptist is seen as the harbinger of the death of his own cousin, Christ.

The account of Saint John’s execution anticipates the future facing Christ and some of the disciples, and Christ’s own burial (see Mark 15: 45-47). The idea that John might be raised from the dead anticipates Christ’s resurrection.

As well as attracting similar followers and having similar messages, did these two cousins, in fact, look so like one another physically?

But Herod had known John the Baptist, he knew him as a righteous and a holy man, and he protected him. Why, he even liked to listen to John.

Do you think Herod was confused about the identities of Christ and of Saint John the Baptist?

Is Herod so truly deranged that he can believe someone he has executed, whose severed head he has seen, could come back to life in such a short period?

Or is Herod’s reaction merely one of exasperation and exhaustion: ‘Oh no! Not that John, back again!’

We too are forerunners, sent out to be signs of the Kingdom of God. To be a disciple is to follow a risky calling – or at least it ought to be so.

To be a disciple is to follow a risky calling – or at least it ought to be so.

I once had a poster with a grumpy looking judge and the words, ‘If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?’

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading told of how Christ sent out the disciples, two by two, inviting people into the Kingdom of God. But they are beginning to realise that the authorities are rejecting Christ.

Now with Herod’s maniacal and capricious way of making decisions, discipleship has become an even more risk-filled commitment.

But Herod’s horrid banquet runs right into the next story in Saint Mark’s Gospel where Christ feeds the 5,000, a sacramental sign of the invitation to all to the heavenly banquet – more than we can imagine can be fed in any human undertaking.

The invitation to Herod’s banquet, for the privileged and the prejudiced, is laden with the smell of death.

The invitation to Christ’s banquet, for the marginalised and the rejected, is laden with the promise of life.

Herod feeds the prejudices of his own family and a closed group of courtiers. Christ shows that, despite the initial prejudices of the disciples, all are welcome to his banquet.

Herod is in a lavish palace in his city, but is isolated and deserted. Christ withdraws to an open but deserted place to be alone, but a great crowd follows him.

Herod fears the crowd beyond his palace gates. Christ rebukes the disciples for wanting to keep the crowds away.

Herod offers his daughter half his kingdom. Christ offers us all, as God’s children, the fullness of the kingdom of God.

Herod’s daughter asks for John’s head on a platter. On the mountainside, Christ feeds all.

Our lives are filled with choices.

Herod chooses loyalty to his inner circle and their greed. Christ tells his disciples to make a choice in favour of those who need food and shelter.

Herod’s banquet leads to destruction and death. Christ’s banquet is an invitation to building the kingdom and to new life.

Would I rather be at Herod’s Banquet for the few in the palace or with Christ as he feeds the masses in the wilderness?

Who would you invite to the banquet?

And who do you think feels excluded from the banquet?

We may never get the chance to be like Herod when it comes to lavish banqueting and decadent partying. But we have an opportunity to be party to inviting the many to the banquet that really matters.

Who feels turned away from the banquet by the Church today, abandoned and left to fend for themselves?

And, in our response to their needs, when we become signs of the Kingdom of God, we provide evidence enough to convict us when we are accused of being Christians.

An icon of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in a church in Koutouloufari in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Sunday 14 July 2024, Trinity VII):

The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Advocacy, human, environmental and territorial rights programme in Brazil.’ This theme is introduced today by the Revd Dr Rodrigo Espiúca dos Anjos Siqueira, Diocesan Officer for human, environmental and territorial rights in the Anglican Diocese of Brasilia, who I met at the USPG conference in High Leigh last week. He writes:

The Anglican Diocese of Brasília is at the forefront of an advocacy programme, centrally focused on championing human, environmental, and territorial rights. This programme is crafted with a fundamental goal: to reduce societal disparities, climate justice, and advance human rights (encompassing environmental, civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights). Acknowledging the intricate interplay of human wellbeing and environmental sustainability, the programme’s ethos embodies a comprehensive approach, striving to safeguard both the human community and the natural world.

In the pursuit of justice, the programme operates on multiple levels – engaging with the Brazilian parliament and key stakeholders. By partnering with decision-makers and legislators, it endeavours to enact legislative reforms that uphold human rights standards and ensure environmental preservation. This proactive involvement within the parliamentary arena fortifies the mission to reform policies, promote inclusivity, and challenge any injustices impeding the full realisation of fundamental rights. The Anglican Diocese of Brasília’s advocacy program embodies a discerning commitment to an equitable society, translating the rhetoric of human rights into tangible progress through deliberate and well-informed action.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Sunday 14 July 2024, Trinity VII) invites us to pray with this prayer from Churches Together in England:

O God, the creator of the human race,
we thank you for the wonder of our being
and for creating us in your image and likeness.
Open our hearts to give unconditional positive regard to all human beings.
Let no negative perception inform our judgement of other people.

The Collect:

Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion Prayer:

Lord God, whose Son is the true vine and the source of life,
ever giving himself that the world may live:
may we so receive within ourselves
the power of his death and passion
that, in his saving cup,
we may share his glory and be made perfect in his love;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Additional Collect:

Generous God,
you give us gifts and make them grow:
though our faith is small as mustard seed,
make it grow to your glory
and the flourishing of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Father Irenaeus, a monk in the Monastery of Saint Macarius in Wadi Natrun in Egypt, shows me the relics in the crypt of Saint John the Baptist below the northern wall of the church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org