A prayer of shelter and shadow by Pádraig Ó Tuama for National Day Of Reflection

A bridge of candles in rainbow coloured glass holders in the window for the #NationalDayOfPrayer, Sunday 22nd March 2020.

A YEAR AGO, on Sunday 22nd March, tens of thousands of Christians lit candles in their homes and prayed in response to a call to prayer initiated by the Presidents of Churches Together in England (CTE). Our Coordinator Kieran writes:

So many participants shared photos of their candles on social media that CTE reports the hashtag #candleofhope became Twitter’s second most trending hashtag in the UK during that Sunday evening.

Often on a Sunday evening I would be out visiting a church community in the Open Table Network, which I coordinate. It felt strange to be at home knowing we could not meet and didn’t know when we would meet again.

It reminded me of a saying I find particularly inspiring, especially in dark times:

Yet it is far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.

- William L. Watkinson

As places of worship closed across the world, it felt even more important for us to witness to our faith, hope and love in this extraordinarily testing time.

As part of evening prayer while the candle burned in the window, I shared a prayer written by Pádraig Ó Tuama, inspired by an Irish saying, in which the same word can mean both shelter and shadow. It felt fitting at this time when many of us feel the shadow of fear and need to shelter to keep ourselves and each other safe.

I’m sharing this prayer again today on this National Day of Reflection for the first anniversary of the start of the first national lockdown in the UK in response to the coronavirus crisis:

A prayer of shelter and shadow

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.

– It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.

– It is in the shadow of each other that the people live.

We know that sometimes we are alone,
and sometimes we are in community.

Sometimes we are in shadow,
and sometimes we are surrounded by shelter.

Sometimes we feel like exiles –
in our land, in our languages and in our bodies.
And sometimes we feel surrounded by welcome.

As we seek to be human together,
may we share the things that do not fade:
generosity, truth-telling, silence, respect and love.

And may the power we share
be for the good of all.

We honour God, the source of this rich life.
And we honour each other, story-full and lovely.

Whether in our shadow or in our shelter,
may we live well
and fully
with each other.
Amen.

– Pádraig Ó Tuama, Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community