Lord,
As I set out on my holiday on Easter Saturday,
I called into the chapel of St Aengus.
It’s an unusual wee chapel which is round in shape
and takes as its inspiration
the ancient round fort of Grianán of Aileach
which proudly crowns the hill at Burt.

The sun, shining through stained glass,
painted the walls in multi-coloured tones.
Light filtered through the steeple
that forms a peak in the roof,
gently illuminating the ceiling
with soft, white light.
In the sunlight, the chapel of St Aengus
was undeniably beautiful.

But something was missing –
You.
The tabernacle doors lay wide open,
displaying a gaping, black interior.
No sanctuary lamp adorned the altar.
The usual sense of peace found in this house of God
had been replaced
by a sense of emptiness, absence,
void and vacuum.
On this Easter Saturday,
the chapel of St Aengus looked beautiful
but felt bleak.

I look forward, on my return journey,
to paying another visit to the church of St Aengus.
This time, I anticipate a sense
of warmth and welcome,
prayer, peace and Presence.
I look forward to the comforting, red glow
of the sanctuary lamp
which will gently assure me,
“God is home again!
He has returned!
Welcome!”

(c) Claire Murray