kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth

Hold us fast to your promises of peace

Peace! Real world peace! It sometimes seems to be just an impossible dream. There’s so much conflict in the world, so much upheaval, there doesn’t appear to be enough room left for real peace.

However people all around the world are trying, are working towards a genuine peace. It doesn’t make the front pages of our newspapers, or other prominent places, as much as we’d like. But that may well be as much to do with the fact that bad news and conflict sell more than good news and peace.

There is much still to do. And the sheer size of the task is overwhelming. But that should not, must not, stop us from making an effort. As an individual it sounds impossible; but once we’re able to start seeing what others are doing, and joining our efforts with their efforts, it doesn’t seem quite so daunting. To help, a little, with that I want to start talking about the International Day of Peace that takes place every year on 21st September.

The International Day of Peace was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981, and was first celebrated in 1982. The Resolution…

“Declares that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day…

“Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, and non-governmental organizations and individuals to commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the International Day of Peace, including through education and public awareness, and to cooperate with the United Nations in the establishment of the global ceasefire.”

The International Day of Peace website is packed full of information about what is trying to be achieved; and how each of us as individuals, and the groups we might belong to, can join in the campaign. Do, please, spend some time looking at what’s on there, and see what you can do this year.

This is one practical way we can pray this Collect for The Third Sunday after Trinity.

The countdown to this years International Day of Peace has started.
It begins in 12 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes:

YOU can make EVERY DAY count
for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.

EVERY DAY is an opportunity for YOU
to spread hope for a Global Ceasefire
and day of peace and nonviolence
in our homes, our communities and between nations.

Peace on Earth Begins With YOU… TODAY.

God our Saviour,
look on this wounded world
in pity and in power;
hold us fast to your promises of peace
won for us by your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Third Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

Walsingham

I took myself off to The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham for a few days recently. The intention had been to make it a retreat-cum-pilgrimage; however, it didn’t quite work out like that. My health rather let me down, and I spent most of the time just sitting or lying quietly. But in many ways that was just what I needed. I did manage to join in with a couple of the services. And the rest of the time I just soaked up the peaceful atmosphere.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is a beautiful place, tucked away in the Norfolk countryside. I try to get there at least once a year, though mostly just for a day, or even a couple of hours. For me, it’s somewhere that heaven touches earth. Here’s a link to the Shrine website, where you’ll be able to find out much more about the place than I can include in a blog post.

Below you will see a few pictures taken on my recent visit to Walsingham. There are 30 photographs in all, and each one links to a larger version.

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