Christ Jesus,
You are close to
all those who suffer.
Give us a heart that is able to
feel for the sufferings
of others.
Remembering your words, that:
“Whatever you have done
to the least of these,
you have also done to me.“
- Amen
Keep the faith!
Since we are in the midst of the Memorial Day Weekend we all need reminders that this is not “national grill in the back yard day,” but has other, deeper, national meaning. A day of commemoration of those how are and have served in the United States Military, all branches, both at home and abroad.
This is a day to remember that some did not make it back from wherever they were stationed.
This is a day to remember those who served valiantly in the many armed conflicts of this country, and for whose sacrifice of time, and stress, and wellness, and distance from those they loved, helped defend and protect our national life.
This is not a day of arguing endlessly about the plus or minus values of war.
Not a day for speaking angrily of “cannon fodder,” and the economic inequities of those who serve our country.
This is a day we remember,
and especially those who have died on our behalf.
We offer the endless thanks of a gentle and peace-loving nation.
(For the prayer below I have used the singular male pronoun, shown in italics. These words may be adjusted as necessary.)
A Prayer of Committal of the Dead
Into your hands, O merciful Savior,
We commend your servant.Acknowledge,
we humbly beseech you,
a sheep of your own fold,
a lamb of your own flock,
a sinner of your own redeeming.Receive him
into the arms of your mercy,
into the blessed rest of
everlasting peace,and
into the glorious company of
the saints in the light.- Amen
To them I say, Rest easy.
To you: Keep the faith.
Do you ever find yourself at a loss of things to say when someone tells you that a person close to you or to them has died?
Last week a friend of mine from many years ago passed along to her Great Reward. Unfortunately for health reasons I was not able to attend her Going Home service, out in the country at a beautiful new Presbyterian church that I have been hoping to see for quite some time. Even by name, how can you go wrong with a church called Chapel in the Pines?
I know many prayers quite brief, and many quite long to use for yourself and your friends at times like these. I always refrain from such hackneyed phrases as “gone on to a better place,” or “gone on to a place where there is no pain,” or even “gone home to Jesus.”
They sound shallow to me. They must sound worse to the listener.
Even though the speaker is well-intended in saying so, these words become the invisible words that we speak, and they do not hear. They lose all meaning in the grief and personal pain that we each feel when one of our own has left us here – perhaps alone – to sally on. They do not begin to address the great human question of
“Why has a so-called compassionate God done this to me?”
I read the prayer today in an email from my friend and confessor, Rev. Vicky. I immediately loved it for its concise work of cutting to the chase of what we need to say at that time (by way of prayer), what we believe as spiritual beings, and our true wishes – above all else – for those who have departed.
Disregarding for one moment the triune sequence that is the outline of all prayer:
we speak in these simple words our love and compassion, the same love of God as we know God to be, and our hope – through faith – of the better existence of the one who has left us. I have included the breath points: (*) for those who might wish to also include this prayer in their meditations.
May (his/her/their) soul(s) *
and
the souls of all the departed, *
through the Mercy of God, *
rest in peace. *
- Amen
Remember today the famous promise most know so well from Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me.”
This great and beloved one, the one who hung the stars in the sky, is with us in these times of passage. Stays with us. Feels the pain with us. Cries with us.
And thus begins to explain the love of God.
Keep the faith!
- Amen
When you have read this prayer, what will you do next?
Peace Around Us All
As we are together, praying for peace,
let us be truly with each other.
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Let us maintain a half smile on our faces.
Let us be aware of the source of being common to us all and to all living things.
Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion,
let us fill our hearts with our own compassion towards ourselves
and towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers and sisters,
all nourished from the same source of life.
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.
Let us plead with ourselves to live in a way which will not deprive other living beings
of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life,
and of the sufferings that are going on around us,
Let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
– Amen.
-A Buddhist Litany for Peace
The Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn
It’s been a while since I added a new line to The Prayers Of Our People, and today I’m introducing one for those who are called – each in their own way – to make our world better for all concerned.
For those who devote their energies
to restoring peace,
to helping those who suffer,
to building a more just world,We pray to you, O God.
- Lord, hear our prayer.