Introduction

We join in spirit with others today to remember a special man.

A man …

who had dreams,
who had dreams shattered,
who needed time to think and pray,
who knew he was likely to die for what he believed …

A man of extraordinary religious insight.
A man who did die … a cruel death.

We remember …

On this day we look at the cross, with its strong clean lines, and we remember …

the betrayal of friendship and its consequences,
the casual cruelty of Roman authority and execution,
and how unreliable others proved to be in a crisis.

On this day may we also remember …
that religious bigotry, cruelty and unreliability are still part of our everyday lives.

On this day, then, may we learn some new ‘rules’ for our living …
So that we do not

avoid contact with suffering, or close our eyes when suffering is seen …
maintain anger or hatred …
untruthful things for the sake of personal interest, or to impress people …
live in a way that is harmful to other humans and nature …

On this day we remember.