A Liturgy Before Mourning with Those Who Mourn
For more articles, videos, books, and resources about faith and art, visit RabbitRoom.com.
Note: As we observe Memorial Day to honor and mourn the men and women who have given their lives following their duty to serve their country, we wanted to share a liturgy appropriate for the occasion.
O Christ Acquainted
with All Our Griefs,
prepare our hearts to enter now
this space of grieving.
O God of All Comfort,
Lead us humbly into this place of heartbreak.
O Spirit Who Moves
in the Midst of Our Sorrows,
Fill us with a right compassion.
Fill us with a right compassion that
we would not cross this threshold
armed with easy answers,
but would enter instead
bearing the balm of a divine tenderness
best expressed in honest affirmations
and small acts of service.
Teach us even in this hour, O Lord,
how better to mourn
with those who mourn,
that their burden
might in some way
be made more bearable
by our sharing in it.
O Lord, in this place of holy sorrows make us
quick to listen, and slow to speak,
reminding us how the only true comfort
Job received from his friends
came not from their many words
but from a willingness to sit with him
in a silent sympathy of weeping.
So let any spoken comforts we offer
be the fruits of a real and costly fellowship
with those who grieve.
The sharing of such sorrows is instead
a good and holy work, O Lord.
For you also, Jesus, willingly entered
the wounds of this world and wept
with your creatures in their brokenness.
And you have promised us
that wherever your children gather
in your name, you will be present as well.
So be present with us now
in this wounded space,
O Spirit of God.
Let our presence be sensed as a token
of your presence.
Let our concern bear unspoken witness
to the redemption your love
will one day work, even unto
the utter and unimaginably glorious
reversal of this loss.
Now speak, act, and comfort, O Christ.
Shepherd us into the sharing
of this sorrow.
May our hearts be as your heart here,
our voices as your voice,
our hands as your hands,
our tears as your tears.
Amen.
Every Moment Holy Volumes I, II, and III are available for purchase through the Rabbit Room Press online store.
For more resources on art and faith, sign up for our other newsletters: Poetry, Music, and Articles.
To support the work of the Rabbit Room, join us by becoming a member. Your membership helps fund everything from publishing new books to new podcasts, events, poetry, articles, theatre productions, conferences, and more. Membership is vital to our flourishing, and we’d love for you to participate. Click here to join or learn more.
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash