Remembrance Day

Prayers used for Remembrance Day Celebration

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

A reading from the Gospel of John

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

Over 100 years ago, World War One ended. So far in our memories, we forget why it's important to remember. For some war is just a digital game. But 100 years, ago, and still today, many will stand side by side with others to defend our nation. Why? So we can sit here today. We can have the freedom to learn and think. On this day, we honour their memory and sacrifice, especially those who died over 100 years, buried in unmarked tombs without a proper burial.  

What also occurred over 100 years ago, during World War One, was the time three children saw a vision of Our Lady Mary in Fatima. A time when the world needed comfort and hope when all they knew and experienced was the trench fighting in Europe, Africa, and Asia. A war which had claimed more than 15 million lives. But what was the message given on that day? Return to God’s love and mercy. See Christ and commit yourself to a life of love and respect to all.  A message which warned us what happens when we turn from God and choose power, wealth, and land. A warning not heeded because less than twenty years later, World War 2 started.

In that light and in a prayer written more than 100 years ago, we pray, Immaculate Heart of Jesus and Mary! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future! 

From famine and war, deliver us. From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us. From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us. From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us. Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies. Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer all sin: individual sin and the ‘sin of the world', sin in all its manifestations. 

May those who have died the most honourable death, to live and die with this one simple truth that, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Rest in peace and let perpetual light shine upon you.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.  Before we begin, let us reflect on the words of Margaret Currie, a mother of Canadian soliders.

My son is Master Corporal Nicholas Currie. He had done two tours in Afghanistan and is currently deployed in Iraq. When I sent my son to war, while he was walking away with all his equipment, a beautiful butterfly landed on my sleeve. It made me smile, which was odd because I had just sent my son to war.

My heart swells with pride at the same time as it fills with fear. Like every mother, I want him safe, but I cannot be there. I have to trust in his training and that his brothers in combat will watch over him. He never leaves my mind even while I have million things to worry about.

Then, you hear the news! A Canadian solider has been killed. You wait. You pray and then breathe a sigh of relief. It is not your son. But is someone’s son. You realize you are still holding your breath.  

Then you Breathe.  

My son does not call himself a hero. He truly loves what he does. So we wait. We hope. We pray until he is home again. And quite often I see butterflies and I believe it is my son saying hi. Silly things that get me through the day and at night. I look up to the moon-knowing he is under it too, in a far away land. I say my prayers and kiss it up to God to learn about the past and discover your future. Serve your community, your school, your family and friends with a pride and respect.

Lest we forget.

As we gather to remember those that have been sent off to war to protect our freedom and democracy, let us also hear the voice of those who have said good-bye to their children. Today, we heard a reflection from an Ascension mother who has said good-bye to her children countless times. These are not just her words, but the words of many who have sent their children to war throughout the years. Can you imagine saying good-bye to your child, a sibling, or a friend to fight with real guns and bombs? In a place where the sounds of bombs and guns ring out that cannot be turned down because it is a computerized version of war where you can turn down the volume and always restart with new lives.  

Let us ask God to give us the wisdom to remember that war is real with real stakes and with real lives lost and where families are changed forever. Where sometimes the worst of our humanity comes out, but through the law of love written on our hearts, our capacity for courage and compassion always shine forth in the darkness. Let us remember those lives which have been lost on the battlefield, that gave each of us the opportunity to sit side by side with each other in peace and in dialogue even though we may look different and have different opinions and ideologies. We can live together always striving for peace against the tyranny of those who wish to control the world with absolute power, where no discussion or compromise resides. May we always remember that what we have today was made through the sacrifice of a parent who sent their child off to war without a guarantee of returning home.  Amen. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.