In his sermon, Wulfstan, archbishop of York in AD 1014, asserts a firm belief that doing what is right doesn’t cease to matter, even if time is running out. In fact, it matters more. Living in the shadow of the end of the world doesn’t involve giving up on life, but recommitting yourself to what is most precious about it. For Wulfstan, that means especially strengthening the bonds we share with other people – our families and communities, the vulnerable and the poor, those we trust, and those who need to be able to trust us.

“A great wound needs a great remedy,” he says, “and a great fire needs a great amount of water if the blaze is to be quenched.”