Father Forgive
Yesterday we looked at verses from St Paul's second letter to the Christians in Corinth. The theme of those verses is the reconciliation that Christ enables and offers to us and all creation. These verses have become a foundation text for the life of Coventry Cathedral.
Every weekday, at noon in the Cathedral, a prayer is said that encapsulates the call that God has placed on the life and activity of the Cathedral. It is a prayer that faces up to the hatred, greed, fear and dishonour that characterise our society. In the light of current issues use the Litany to acknowledge our complicity, if not direct involvement, in much of the pain experienced by so many people across the globe.
The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred that divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class:
Father Forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own:
Father Forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays the earth waste:
Father Forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others:
Father Forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless and the refuge:
Father Forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children:
Father Forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God:
Father Forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Acknowledging our need for forgiveness is a continuing challenge, but also embracing the joyous reconciliation that God provides is the way forward! Tomorrow and on Friday we shall look at some encouraging examples of 'reconciliation' through the life of the Cathedral.
Richard Farnell
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