God, keeper of the atoms and stars, you made us collaborators in creation, but we have pilfered the secrets of ordered existence and justified their immoral use in the name of ‘security’ and ‘peace.’ We could say then that we didn’t know the consequences. Now we do know, but we are complacent and silent. Have […]
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Like most traumatic scars, the ones that are found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are permanent: reminders of the terrible damage human beings can inflict. Similar scars can be found in the hearts and souls of people around the world who understand this terror: scars of grief, sadness, fear and even shame. None of these scars […]
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This liturgy was written for midday prayers at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. It may be reproduced and adapted for local usage. More resources are available here from the World Council of Churches We gather in silence. As we gather we listen to the gong/bell, calling us to remember, calling us to pray and […]
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What words can express the horrors of war? The atrocity of dropping an atom bomb on Hiroshima? Nagasaki? The complicity of citizens? The heart-wrenching desire to set things more right. The craving for forgiveness and atonement? Spirit of Peace, hear our prayer. ‘U.S. airman Matthew McGunigle photographed the Hiroshima blast. After the war, he entered […]
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