Thought for the day – 8th April 2020
Brought to us by Rev. Mike Cassidy
In these unprecedented times… we will be ‘celebrating’, all over Europe (and around the world), a special anniversary of VE Day during what will surely be recorded as one of the most notorious years of history for the global community.
The commemoration, headed up by Queen Elizabeth II, was originally planned to be a world-wide three-day event (May 8th-10th) of all sorts of street parties and celebrations. Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic (as I write on May 6th the world had already passed 250,000 Covid deaths – a grotesque figure that will greatly multiply before this plague is over) all the organised events have been cancelled.
Nevertheless, it is expected that solo buglers/trumpeters/cornet players will play the Last Post at 2.55pm from the safety of their homes and gardens, along with Pipers undertaking Battle’s O’er at 3pm local time in the country they are in, as well as Town Criers, Crying out for Peace at 6.55pm in a similar way on Friday (8th May 2020). In, perhaps, millions of homes people (like me and Jane) will be raising a glass as part of the Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WW2: “To those who gave so much, we thank you.”
Speaking personally, it will be a day of mixed feelings. Whilst we MUST always remember those who gave so much during conflict – and even if they survived still endured a horrid life of consequential physical/emotional/psychological injury – in their honour we should also be using those moments of Remembrance to re-commit ourselves to working for peace. Otherwise their death and the suffering of so many was a waste of disgusting proportions! They died to secure peace for us. They did not give their lives so that future generations could ‘enjoy’ fluffy feelings of pride or engage in self-indulgent rituals of Remembrance. They died and suffered for the sake of a better world.
We still live in a world where politicians have a terrible track record of taking us into war. Perhaps one of the paradoxes of this world-wide pandemic will be a renewed appreciation of how MUCH we depend on each other; how MUCH we can share with each other; how MUCH better life is for all when we work together.
We are still in Eastertide when Christians (and others) recall the remembrances of those early witnesses of The Resurrection. One of those is the encounter between Jesus and Thomas (a disciple). Jesus showed Thomas the open wounds of his hands (awful injuries from the iron spikes designed to keep a writhing tortured body pinned to the cross). Jesus doesn’t bear faded scars signalling a long-ago victory on a half-forgotten battlefield. They are fresh wounds that mark an entirely different victory.
Whilst we all value the race won, the mountain scaled, the enemy defeated, the obstacle overcome those wounds bear witness to a God who deserves so much, much more than our traditional bone-China approach to God. Thomas’ experience of those open wounds of Jesus should constantly challenge our inclination to cage God rather than engage with God in the bloody day to day of our lives.
On VE Day I will also recall the showing of the open wounds of today. Whilst many, like me, will rightly recall (the fading scars of) our victory over fascism in Europe I will also humbly be giving thanks for the people whose open wounds mark the sacrifice of those heroes who have given their lives in recent weeks in a battle to save and serve the life of others: doctors, nurses, bin men, bus drivers, care home staff, supermarket staff, police officers, courier drivers, and many others. These people voluntarily turned up for work knowing the risk and, as a result of that risk, ended up paying the ultimate sacrifice. Their families will be numb with grief on Friday of this week!
Many, many others – currently still alive! – continue to turn up for work for our sake in spite of the risk. When the worker goes out to work and shuts the front door think of the spouse/parent/child/lover/friend who will fear for them until they come home. And they will do it all again on the morrow! Their families are the open wounds we should gaze on.
Their wounds bear witness to that inexplicable grace of God towards all of us, without distinction.