every sight you see, is coloured by the fact that something has gone desperately wrong. You can’t forget it for a moment. Paul was a master of writing and speaking, and he knows exactly the effect this sudden outburst will produce. The end of Romans 8 was and is glorious, meant to lead us to one of the highest points of Christian celebration and reflection. But in the present life such moments are always balanced by the sorrowful realization of the dark shadow which the bright light now casts. And