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Good Morning – Remember Remember - the 5th of November,  Gunpowder Treason and Plot.  As we wake up this morning,  we’re  maybe thinking of attending the local celebrations of Bonfire Night or perhaps we are even helping to organise it.  Last year it was estimated one in three of us attended a private or public party, with fireworks or a bonfire.  Thankfully we are no longer burning effigies on most fires.  We live in different times, and people of Faith in these islands live in peace now. But it is foolish to be complacent and important to remember the lessons of history.  Peace is a precious gift, something that we never take for granted. 
This summer I had a remarkable experience in Belfast of participating in a cross-community week of guided prayer – Catholics and Protestants.  It was a great step of faith that a protestant church – lead by a visionary Pastor allowed four of us Jesuit priests, to lead it.  In the silence of that week of prayer, we all encountered God – and it was a privilege to hear about these encounters, and to see how creatively and gently God acts in different lives.  Healing took place where it was needed, even at levels that we weren’t conscious of – as well as being challenged at times to let go of old certainties. But when we grow in faith, hope and love we know we are moving closer to God. The closer we are to the divine, the less we are worried about the things that divide us.  So tonight as we gaze into the dance of flames – we remember the mystery of God, who is closer to us than our own heart beat and let us give thanks for the precious gift of peace. Amen