One year today, In memory of those who lost their fight with COVID19.
Please join us in prayer.
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| We light this candle in prayer to honour and mourn those who lost their fight against COVID19, their families, loved ones and friends. |
Good morning to you all on this Tuesday morning.
Today is our day of mourning, our day of prayer, hope and healing, for this day, 23rd March 2021 marks 1 year since the United Kingdom was plunged into national lockdown.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the living and of the dead, we remember those close in our hearts, whether friends, family, colleagues, even those we have never had the chance to get to know, we remember them in our thoughts, our prayers, meditations and in our hearts.
We also remember all those who have suffered the loss of those loved and known to them.
Today at 12:00 PM, a 1 minute silence will be held. The bell at Christ Church shall be rung in memory and honour of those departed from our world.
The last 15 months plus, from when this tragedy started, are a reminder to us all that life is a gift we all share, a life given to us by God, life worth tresuring and honouring each day and celebrating. We have faced so many battles together and apart, with this, we stand together in prayer, in thought and honouring those we have known, loved and lost.
Our country has faced so many tragedies in this last year, from losing those we know and love, to business closures, economic crisis and so much more, with these events, we must pull together, now more than ever, not splinter away and part, instead, join together and unite to change our world for the better.
On this day, we offer our prayers, our devotions, our meditations and honour the memory of those departed from us.
The Lords Prayer.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Some prayers to share with you today...
A prayer in Mourning.
Bless those who mourn, eternal God,
with the comfort of your love
that they may face each new day with hope
and the certainty that nothing can destroy
the good that has been given.
May their memories become joyful,
their days enriched with friendship,
and their lives encircled by your love.
Amen.
The light of God's promise
May you be held by the God of compassion
as you remember your loved ones today.
May God be with you in your sorrow,
and comfort you in your loss.
May your God, your family and your friends,
give you strength and confidence.
May your spirit be lifted, may your heart be filled with peace,
and may the light of God's promise fill you with joy and hope.
Amen.
Hold me to your heart
God of compassion,
when I feel helpless in my grief,
hold me to your heart.
God of gentleness,
in those moments when life is dark,
keep me close to you.
God of comfort,
when I am overcome with sadness,
shelter me under your wings.
Ever-faithful God,
help me to find reassurance and hope
in these words of hope to all your people -
"Because you are precious to me,
because I love you,
there is no need to be afraid,
for I am with you." (Isaiah 43)
God of our longing
God of our longing,
hear our prayers
protect our dreams,
and listen to our silent hopes.
Deal gently with our pain,
speak to our sadness,
and remove the barriers
that imprison our spirit.
Shed your light
where shadows are cast,
that we may feel your warmth
and know your presence.
Give us courage
to hold fast to our vision
that we may build our world
and create our future.
Amen.
Lord of life and love
Lord of life and love,
as we give thanks for times past,
grant us courage to embrace the present
and grace to share the future.
In memory of loved ones dear,
kindle their flame to shine in the dark
and light the path ahead.
Show the way that leads to life
as we cherish days gone by
and inspire us with the touch of love
that faith and hope live on.
Compassionate God
Compassionate God,
as your outstretched hands held a crucified world,
so let our hands convey the touch of love.
As you embraced our vulnerability
so cradle our hopes and fears.
Reach out to our frailty,
release our painand in your tenderness,
bring health to our brokenness
that, in our weakness, we may find strength
and, in our poverty, the unfurled riches of your resurrection.
The above prayers we share with you from CAFOD.
