For wherever a saint has dwelt, wherever a martyr has
given his blood for the blood of Christ,
There is holy ground, and the sanctity shall not depart
from it
Though armies trample over it, though sightseers come
with guide-books looking over it;
From where the western seas gnaw at the coast of Iona,
To the death in the desert, the prayer in forgotten
places by the broken imperial column.
From such ground springs that which forever renews
the earth
Though it is forever denied. Therefore, O God, we
thank Thee
Who hast given such blessing to Canterbury.
Forgive us, O Lord, we acknowledge ourselves as type
of the common man.
Of the men and women who shut the door and sit by
the fire;
Who fear the blessing of God, the loneliness of the
night of God, the surrender required, the depri-
vation inflicted;
Who fear the injustice of men less than the justice of
God;
Who fear the hand at the window, the fire in the
thatch, the fist in the tavern, the push into the
canal,
Less than we fear the love of God.
We acknowledge our trespass, our weakness, our fault;
we acknowledge
That the sin of the world is upon our heads; that the
blood of the martyrs and the agony of the saints
Is upon our heads.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Blessed Thomas, pray for us.