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Good morning. Yesterday, millions of us observed a minute’s silence and prayer at midday; and in the evening, we stood outside our homes with lights as part of a National Day of Reflection for a year that has affected and changed our lives so severely.

Covid, of course, does not respect the solar calendar and we are not yet out of the crisis. Still, many are daring to think what returning to normality – or at least the new normality – might be like. And, we’re starting to reflect what might be learnt from our actions and decisions in coping with the pandemic. I was fascinated by the discussion led by Evan Davis on Radio 4 yesterday morning - looking at Leadership – in the second part of his Lessons on a Crisis series. One panellist suggested that there seemed to be a link - that those nations with the better statistics of cases and deaths happened to have female premiers. Was there something significant in this? The feeling of the panel was that diversity of thinking was a key factor; and that women leaders might tend to take the danger more seriously and to engage with a range of politicians and experts needed to address the challenge.

In the Hindu text, Bhagavad-gita. It’s said that fame and good fortune arise from the God-given qualities that women possess: fine speech, memory, intelligence and patience. And, this integration of the diversity and character of the feminine and masculine energies is at the heart of Hindu theology. Particularly, Vaishnava Hindus are discouraged from contemplating God as a singular male figure. Nor: as an amorphous spiritual energy or even as the power of divine love – but as the divine union of female and male personalities Who together are the source and highest expression of love and relationship. Hence, most temples in the UK feature the dual presence of these female & male counterpart forms - Radha and Krishna or Sita and Rama - alongside each other on the altar.

This weekend, many Vaishnavas will celebrate the life of Sri Caitanya – a saint born in the 15th century. Although being a male mendicant monk, he is celebrated for embodying the feminine spirit of Godhead. He transformed the religious culture of India by promoting devotional worship rather than scholasticism. He interacted with all faiths countering the competitiveness of the time; and he challenged social inequality with his message of inclusion and unity.

As we now look ahead, I think we’ll need such diversity in vision and ideas if we’re to achieve a successful recovery - one that heals the loss, damage, inequality and anxiety of a terrible year.

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