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Sursum Corda
The embers of destructive fires in the west
Have barely cooled and the old fears and dread
Loosen their hold in the scared chest of our memories.
The fragile threads of harmony stretched and strained
By abuse and mistrust have finally snapped and sent
The Holy Land into a spiral of destructive violence and dread.
The youthful flower of a generation of Ukrainians and Russians
has been trampled and wasted on old dreams of empire
And the need to defend national sovereignty.
Wherever we look, it seems that the drum skins of conflict
are being tightened and the language of diplomacy is being
Replaced by the rhetoric of rights and privileges.
The rapid advance of a changing climate has us on edge…
Sacred places and holy truths are not immune from attack…
Wars and rumours of war sap our belief in a world made new…
Old certainties and cherished beliefs no long sustain our hope …
And yet…
Sursum corda
The words whisper on the wind to our heart’s great need
They are heard above the clamour of violence and hatred
They echo between the raised voices of anger and revenge
They seep into our unease to nourish hope for harmony
They cut through our capitulation to despair and fatigue
They startle like a long forgotten truth of our faith memory
They dance their rhythm into our response and draw us onwards
They are the music to our life
They are the lyrics to our song
Sursum corda
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord
