THIS Good Friday many of us will reflect on an exceptionally difficult week which has been been marked by profound sorrow, both at home and abroad.
Thursday saw the heartbreaking funerals of the five victims of the Buncrana pier tragedy with large numbers of people turning out to show their support and sympathy for the McGrotty and Daniels families.
People throughout Ireland have been deeply moved by the terrible events of last Sunday and the immeasurable loss suffered by Louise James and her extended family.
Also enduring great pain this week are the family of Catherine Kenny, who became the latest homeless person to die on the streets of Belfast city centre and whose funeral took place on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the anguish and grief of the wife, daughters and grandchildren of prison officer Adrian Ismay were all too evident at his funeral service in Belfast.
He lost his life as the result of an indefensible criminal act by those trying to impose their beliefs through violence and terror, leaving a family distraught and facing a future without their beloved husband, father and grandfather.
This week also saw terror on a different scale in Brussels as Islamic State continued to deliver horror and carnage to the heart of Europe.
The names of the dead and missing are now starting to emerge and we can see photographs of the smiling faces of people who are loved and cherished but who had the misfortune to be at the airport or on the train at the same time as a fanatic with a bomb.
As the Bishop of Derry, Dr Donal McKeown, said yesterday, the awful events of this week underline how fragile life can be.
Today we should hold the bereaved in our thoughts and pray they find solace in the days and weeks ahead.
