The photographers command before a photo-shoot took on a new meaning this week when our Minister of Agriculture, Brendan Smith, took credit for a consignment of cheese from the EC. This act of benevolence, which is intended to alleviate poverty in the distressed areas of Europe, is something we have benefited from since 1987. The Minister smelt something good, got onto “Morning Ireland” and announced this particular piece of largesse as if the Government had churned the whole thing themselves.  Alas for Brendan the trap sprung and before you could say “camembert” his moment in the sun turned mouldy. To try to make political capital for something which had been going on for over 20 years added to the feeling of being cheesed off with the Government. It was rumoured that the cry, “Let them eat cheese” (paraphrasing Marie Antoinette) was heard emanating from the departing Merc as they took Brendan back to his Cavan constituency! Fortunately there are no big cheeses in the Bible! In fact the Person it’s all about – Jesus – invited His followers to die to self. In case they missed the point he inverted the world order and said that “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and the servant of all”. (Saint Mark chapter 9 verse 35). When the disciples wanted to know what a servant looked like he took the lowest place and washed their feet. (Saint John Chapter 13). In case anyone still did not get it Jesus offered his followers a cross. Saint Luke records the incident, “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. It may be easy to dismiss some of the things a politician says but the trouble with Jesus’s sayings is that he modelled them with his life. You cannot walk round this Man. You need to face Him – preferably in this life!