Time for Reflection

Presented by Father Patrick Keegans at the Scottish Parliament on 17th December 2008 at 2.30 pm

And I will lead the blind in a way they know not;
in paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
and rough places into level ground. (Is. 42, 16)

These words from the Prophet Isaiah have great significance in my life.

When I was the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Lockerbie, I was in my house at 1 Sherwood Crescent on the evening of the 21st December 1988. My mother, Mary Keegans, was with me.

The darkness came. At 7.04pm PanAm flight 103, destroyed by a bomb on board the aircraft, crashed into the town of Lockerbie.

The darkness came. The lights went out. The house shook violently. An almighty explosion tore Sherwood Crescent apart; and then there was a silence and stillness and still the darkness.

Then another kind of darkness took over: the thick, suffocating darkness that comes from extreme grief: the darkness that invades the human spirit, that threatens to crush and destroy. 270 people had been murdered, eleven residents of Sherwood Crescent and 259 passengers on Pan Am 103.

And into that darkness there came light. That light came from the people of Lockerbie. It was the light of genuine love, care and concern for all who were suffering. The people of Lockerbie, shocked to the core, looked not to themselves but to others. They are a shining jewel in the Crown of Scotland. The words of John’s Gospel speaking about Christ come to mind: “A light shines in the darkness, a light that darkness could not overpower”. (John 1, 5.) The love, light, and compassion of Christ were shining through the people of Lockerbie as it does to this very day.

Approaching the 20th Anniversary of the Lockerbie air Disaster our thoughts and our prayers turn to those who died; and we remember our friends in the USA, our UK families, all other nationalities, and all who, in some form or another, are victims of the disaster.

At a time of great sorrow I was asked by Dr. Jim Swire whose daughter Flora died on the plane to conduct a service for the UK families. The words of Isaiah came to me. I pray and reflect on these words every day:

And I will lead the blind in a way they know not;
in paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
and rough places into level ground. Is. 42, 16

I pray that each day God will lead us and guide us.

I am elated and honoured to be with you in what is a very special place and to speak these words to you.

Thank you