Halloween: Voices Of Australia And Russia

In my country we had to move our time clocks forward one hour. That takes a slight adjustment. But then I was invited, at 09.30 my new time, to say Evening Prayer with ten Australian friends by Skype. There was one or more hour's difference in their own different time lines but we were as one as we took it in turns to say the newly crafted Australian Prayer liturgy which began:

Blessed be you, Creator of all life.

We see your splendour in the desert flowers of our land after the thirst quenching rain.

We see the bounty of your renewal in new life on the ground, in the air and under our blue waters.

Your majesty in the bathing, renewing rays of your sun.

Your wonder in the stars of the Southern Cross at night.

Let your lights of nature be a reminder to us of your glory in our lives... Illuminate our path as we seek to take one more step towards your embracing warmth ...

Out of the blue I was asked to do a phone interview on Halloween for Voice of Russia Radio. They wanted to know about the consumer society version of Halloween that supermarkets promote, but I also spoke of the ancient Celtic and Christian traditions, and how this deeper spirituality which makes heaven our homeland as fears and demons of dark nights assail us can unite western believers with the soul of holy Russia. At a time when ego centric forces threaten to tear us apart in war nothing could be more important. That is why our Community offers prayers for Halloween:

Plants have withered

Dark draws near

Our mortality looms large

God of the saints, you are

stronger than the elements,

stronger than the shadows,

stronger than the fears,

stronger than the dark powers that assail us.

draw us into the light through the ages of ages. Amen.