The Altar at Christ the King Church on Remembrance Sunday 2023

Remembering with gratitude, grieving with love, and praying with hope.

Only a few days ago, we marked two important days in the Church’s life: All Saints and All Souls.

On All Saints’ Day, we remembered those who have gone before us in faith, who now share in the eternal light of Christ. Then, on All Souls’ Day, our thoughts turned a little closer to home. To those we have known and loved. The familiar faces, the voices we can still hear in our memories, and those whose absence we continue to feel.

And now, just a few days later, we come together in a time of national Remembrance.

There is something particularly poignant about these days falling so close together. Each invites us to remember, to give thanks, and to acknowledge the pain of loss. Yet, for Christians, remembrance is about more than looking back. It is also about looking towards Christ, who promises us that death will not have the final word.

At this Remembrancetide, we remember those who gave their lives in war, those who suffered, and those who returned carrying wounds that were not always visible. We remember their courage, their sacrifice, and the families whose lives were changed forever.

Our thoughts are naturally drawn towards the words of Christ: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

These words speak powerfully at this time of year. Not because war and conflict are things to glorify, but because love, courage and self-sacrifice deserve to be remembered.

A Light Extinguished to Protect Life

During the Second World War, my great-uncle was a young man, not old enough to enlist; he worked as a fire warden at a factory in Birmingham.

His responsibility was to stand guard on the factory rooftops during air raids, watching for incendiary bombs and dealing with them before they could start devastating fires.

It was dangerous work, particularly for someone so young. Yet it was essential to protecting the lives of those working below and the wider community.

Reflecting on his service, I am reminded that he did far more than extinguish fires. In his own quiet way, he was standing against the darkness of evil, protecting life from those who sought to destroy it.

There is something deeply moving about that image: a young man standing on a factory roof in the darkness, watching and waiting, knowing that his actions might save the lives of people he would never meet.

This image of darkness, vigilance, and light brings me to the Gospel proclaimed at Mass this Remembrance Sunday.

Keeping the Light Burning

In the passage from Matthew’s Gospel which was set for Remembrance Sunday this year (25:1–13), Jesus tells the parable of ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom.

Each carries a lamp, but only five have brought sufficient oil to keep their lamps burning. When the bridegroom finally arrives, only those who are prepared can welcome him.

At first, it seems a straightforward lesson about being ready. But something deeper is at work here.

Christ is the Bridegroom, and the lamps remind us of the faith we are called to keep alive. A faith that endures through uncertainty, suffering and loss. A faith that does not disappear when life becomes difficult or when the darkness seems overwhelming.

There is a striking contrast between my great-uncle’s wartime responsibility and our calling as Christians.

His duty was to extinguish the flames that threatened life. Our calling is to keep the light of Christ burning, so that even in the darkness of suffering and death, we never lose sight of his promise.

And perhaps there is another connection. Just as those wartime fire wardens had to remain watchful, often through long and uncertain nights, Christ calls us to remain spiritually awake, prepared to meet him whenever he comes.

Not through fear, but through faith, love and hope.

Grieving, but never without Hope

In his First Letter to the Thessalonians (4:13–18), again set for this year, St Paul offers words that are particularly comforting at this time of remembrance.

He reminds us not to grieve as those who have no hope.

Notice that Paul does not tell us not to grieve. Grief is a natural expression of love. We mourn because someone mattered to us, because their presence enriched our lives, and because their absence leaves a space that cannot simply be filled.

Even Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus.

But Paul reminds us that because Christ died and rose again, death is not the end of our story.

This hope is at the heart of our Christian faith. It does not remove the pain of separation or provide easy answers to the suffering caused by war. But it assures us that God’s love reaches beyond the grave.

The Book of Wisdom (6:12–16) says Wisdom is found by those who seek her. Perhaps part of that wisdom is learning to recognise what truly matters in life: love, faithfulness, peace, and the way we care for one another.

These are not simply ideals to admire. They are qualities we are called to live out in our everyday lives.

Remembering with Gratitude; Praying with Hope

The Silence on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day is not simply an opportunity to reflect on past conflicts. It also asks something of us today.

We remember those who died, but we must not forget those who continue to suffer because of war. Families displaced from their homes, communities torn apart, and people living with fear and uncertainty.

We also remember those who returned from conflict carrying memories and experiences that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Our remembrance should deepen our desire for peace, strengthen our compassion for those who suffer, and remind us of our responsibility to care for one another.

Above all, it should draw us closer to Christ.

The light of Christ is not a promise that we shall never encounter darkness. Rather, it assures us that darkness will never have the final word.

And so, as we remember the fallen, those we have loved and lost, and all whose lives have been touched by war, perhaps we might carry three simple thoughts with us: Remember with gratitude. Grieve with love. Pray with hope.

And as we entrust them all to the loving mercy of God, we make our own the familiar prayer: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

May they rest in peace. Amen.