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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Ian Faulds, Rector of the Falkland Islands

Good morning.

Forty years ago today, in a reminder of recent events in Ukraine, foreign troops began the invasion of what was then a British Crown colony in the faraway South Atlantic. The war that followed sent shock waves around the world and cost many lives at sea, in the air and on land. Whatever you may think about the politics involved, there are some fundamental principles that affect us all.

In his famous summary of the Law, Jesus said ‘Love your neighbour in the same way that you love yourself’. Love and respect are enshrined in the principle of self-determination established in international law. Historically, despite being backed by Lenin and Woodrow Wilson, it is a principle that is open to interpretation, so has proved notoriously difficult to implement, as demonstrated in Kosovo, Donetsk, Gibraltar, the Basque Country, Kashmir, Cyprus, and now Ukraine.

Today we recall the arrival at Stanley in the Falkland Islands of special forces on an Argentine destroyer and the subsequent battle for Government House.

Lord God, help us to remember the sacrifices made.

Help us to remember those who still bear
the scars and disabilities of their service.

Help us to remember the widows and widowers,
and all who waited in vain for the return of a loved one.

Help us to remember the faithful courage and service
of Islanders, those who died and those who still suffer.

Help us to love and respect one another,
as we remember that peace is better than war.

Amen.

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