24th January 2025

The 27th of January each year is Holocaust Memorial Day. A day to remember the lives of millions of men, women and children who were murdered across Europe during the Second World War by the Nazi regime. This year 27th January marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

A Prayer:

Merciful God,
We remember all those who bear the inner and outer
scars of the Holocaust and of all the past acts of genocide.
Let them not be overwhelmed by the horrors
that engulfed them. Be close to them.
Help them to see that you suffer with those who suffer,
and that no wickedness can ever extinguish your unlimited love.
Restrain those who are filled with hatred
and use violence to pursue their ends.
Change their hearts.

May remembrance make us alert
to the reality of evil and its deceptive allure.
Help us to recognise our own capacity for evil
and may your Spirit remove it from our lives.
Help us always to stand up against evil and oppression,
even if that means we must suffer ourselves.

Enable us to defend those who are not strong enough to defend themselves,
and to be ready to bring the light of your truth into the darkness of human lives.
Deepen our respect for all you have made,
and help us to share in securing the greatest good of every person who lives.
We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us, carried our sorrows, heals
our wounds, who is risen for our freedom. Amen.

Sam King