Tárogató, 1943-1944 (6. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
1943-12-01 / 6. szám
TÁROGATÓ 13 BATTLE OF BRITAIN SUNDAY THE PRIMATE’S SERMON We print below the full text of the sermon preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the “Battle of Britain” service held in St. Paul’s Cathedral on September 26th. Their Majesties the King and Queen were present, and the Cathedral was filled with a distinguished company, including the Lord Mayor of London, who received Their Majesties at the foot of the Cathedral steps. The Archbishop took as his text the words: Thy way is in the sea and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Thou leddest thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.—Psalm 77:19,20. “We are met,” he said, “to eommemorate a great deliverance. We all know, as only a few knew at the time, how dire was the peril to our nation in the later summer of 1940, and with our nation to the cause of freedom and justice in the whole civilised world. “Observers in other countries took for granted the loss of this island. I saw a letter written in mid-July that year from a great friend of this country and its cause in the United States, one who was actively working to promote understanding of the real issue on that side of the Atlantic. He spoke of the steps to be taken so soon as the Royal Family and the Imperial Government were safely transferred to Canada. So friendly citizen of the United States, a man of conspicuously well-balanced judgment, regarded our position at that time. He did not discuss the question whether this island could be held against the assault then manifestly impending; he took it for granted that this island must be lost to the enemy, and went on to discuss the steps by which the freedom of civilised mankind could still be saved. “No one in this country thought like that That was partly due to a happy ignorance; we did not know how heavy the odds against us were. It was partly due to a belief, built up through the ages, that if only the spirit of the people be true to itself our island territory is inviolable. But beyond all this as a faith, stimulated though not created by inspiring leadership, that violence and fraud would not prevail over justice and loyalty, and that whatever our personal and national shortcomings, our cause was just. So, thinking little of, the imminent menace, our people gave themselves to the discharge of obvious duty. Calculation of resources they left to others; they would do, each one, the allotted task with care-free devotion, serving the common cause with the greater throughness becaus none let himself be troubled by anxiety for the result. When Mussolini fell the Prime Minister, looking back to the entry of Italy into the war, uttered these memorable words; I could wish that all schools should teach them to every generation of their pupils:— “ ‘It is not given to the cleverest and most calculating of mortals to konw with certainty what is their intrest. Yet it is given to quite a lot of simple folk to know with certainty what is their duty.’ “It was in such perception and pursuit of duty that the Battle of Britain as fought and won. We think first of the Fighter-Pilots of the Royal Air Force, few fearless and unwearying; we think of all who made their prowess possible; we think of Civil Defence Workers of every grade; and we recall the patient heroism of the great multitude. It is right to recall these things. Gratitude is an emotion which does justice to those who have served well and preserves from selfishness those who have received service. Let us give full play to our gratitude where it is so fully due. “And most of all let us give thanks to God, Who guideth our statesmen and the commanders of our forces. Who is the source of the courage and devotion in all who fought and served. And let us find now and so long as our nation lasts an anchor of steadfastness for times of perplexity and danger, in the great deliverance which God wrought through our people, both military and civilian, in those dark days when wise observers saw no sign of hope. “The Bible teaches us always in this way to find steadfastness for the present in what God wrought in the past. So the Psalmist whose words I quoted at the outset was brooding over the difficulties which beset his countrymen and the lack of any present sign of Divine help; but he found strength as he recalled that there were days still darker in the past, yet God had given deliverance where men could only despair. “ ‘Will the Lord absent Himself for ever, \ OUR ENGLISH SECTION.
