This is very, very sad. A wee lad playing with his pals, and one of them gets into trouble in deep water in the River Kelvin. And his friend Declan Shanley jumped in to help him, but was swept away in the current, and later found to be drowned.
He looks a smashing lad, and the tributes from his family, friends, school describe him as just that. You can read about it here.
Tonight, a young lad I've never heard of before, moves to the centre of evening prayers. And his family too, in their bewilderment and loss, but also so proud of their son, brother, grandchild - they too are held in the place where we know God is - that quiet centre of communion, prayer and compassion, from which we reach out in love and mercy to people whose lives will never now be the same. I am persuaded, and I use the words deliberately as an echo of the King James Version's way of being certain, I am persuaded that the credibility of the mission of the Church that is the Body of Christ, is only as strong as the compassion and empathy that same Church as Body of Christ has for all those borne down under tragedies like this. May Declan rest in the peace of God, and his family be borne up on the love and prayers of the Church which, if it is the Body of Christ, then loves with Christ's heart, serves with Christ's hands, and goes to all the places Christ would go with his feet, and sits down there to be with and stay with those whose greatrest need for now is comfort.
Lord have mercy:
Christ have mercy:
Lord have mercy.
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