We’ll Meet Again - Reflection by Canon Myles

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​Over the years, my room in the Cathedral has become a place for people to deposit items when they have no idea where they ought to go. Sometimes it has taken me months or even years to find them a permanent home. One such item has now lived with me since May 2011. It normally sits on the floor in a corner. It is a red house brick!

How did I acquire it? It was once part of a house in Bootle which was bombed and then demolished following the May Blitz in 1941. The brick had a small walk-on part in a service in 2011 to mark the 70th anniversary of the May Blitz which brought such devastation to Bootle and to Liverpool, including the Cathedral itself.

The service included a ‘soundscape’ which brought back to life some of the sounds and noises of those far off days. It included the sound of sirens announcing an air-raid, the noise of the bombs falling, fire-engines and machine guns, all accompanied by searchlights. A group of redoubtable women, volunteers from the Maritime Museum, came to help us, wearing the outfits of those days, and recalling the trials and tribulations of those times, and something of the humour too. It was a poignant and memorable occasion. The highlight came with the conclusion of the soundscape, as the whole congregation, including civic guests and clergy, joined in heartily with Dame Vera Lynn as we all sang ‘We’ll meet again.’

This week we reach another anniversary: 75 years since VE Day in May 1945, bringing hostilities to an end in Europe. The bank holiday was moved to a Friday and great plans were made. Sadly most of those plans have been cancelled or put on hold with the restrictions necessarily in place for the current pandemic.  But one small part of the plan has survived, and it centres around Dame Vera’s war-time song.  It may be destined to become the anthem for these times, after Her Majesty the Queen concluded her recent broadcast with a reference to its opening words.

We continue our loving prayers each day for all those whom, just for now, we are not able to meet. But as people who walk life’s journey in company with the risen Lord, we may not know what the future holds, but ‘we know who holds the future.’ With faith and hope in God, we may sing with confidence, ‘We’ll meet again.’

​Canon Myles

While you're here:
Why not prepare for the coming Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.