In these USA we have observed Armistice Day, commemorating the 11th day of the 11th month when, at the 11 hour, 99 years ago, hostilities ceased and WWI closed. This coincides with US Veteran’s Day and UK Remembrance Day.
For those of you who don’t know much about the UK’s observance of Remembrance Day, you might see this. This year, Queen Elizabeth did not attend at the Cenotaph. Remembrance Day, as I understand it, is observed in the Sunday closest to 11 November.
The coverage is predictably correct, politically. However, there is a great deal of interest. And we do well to remember the tremendous events which are memorialized in this moments… lest they be repeated.
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Remembrance Sunday is observed throughout the Commonwealth. On our small island in The Bahamas we honoured theCommonwwealth and American war dead and we prayed for peace.
The Queen did attend the ceremonies at the London cenotaph but from a balcony together with her frail 96 year old husband Prince Philip.
Her heir, Prince Charles, placed her memorial wreath at the monument while she looked on.
May God grant rest and peace to those who died in war or terror defending our freedom and may God heal those scarred and maimed by war or terror, mentally or physically.
We generally commemorate both the 11th and the Sunday, with a simple two-minute silence on the 11th (that came back into favour a few years ago) and parades etc. on the Sunday. Those readers who don’t already know might be interested to hear that on the Sunday we celebrate a requiem mass, according to a special dispensation which, I understand, is unique to the United Kingdom.
I read that the armistice was planned for 11th November because that, St Martin’s Day, or Martinmas, was a traditional day for truces and peace treaties, dating back to a much more Christian Era. Martin, of course, was a Roman soldier who laid down arms and left the military when he became a Christian. (The Golden Legend has a great retelling). Martinmas had also become a day of feasting and revelry before the 40-days little Lent before Christmas. ‘Let’s get the fighting out of the way so we can prepare properly for our Lord.’