“Prayer As Lament” Like Jesus in today’s gospel, I also have a question – perhaps rarely asked: What is religion for? What does Christianity accomplish? Why do we need a Messiah?
There will be many good responses to this question, but in many ways the ultimate answer is: to relieve suffering. The psalms attest to this suffering, to the laments of the human race. On the cross Christ himself quotes from Ps 22 (v.1-2): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? … [while the psalm continues: …] Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, I find no rest.” The prayer of ‘lament’ is perhaps our most ‘heart-felt appeal’ to God compared to: prayers of confession, supplication, intercession, and thanks. It is also perhaps the most vital for our human condition, since it helps us cope with the many facets of suffering which we experience: sorrow, anger, depression, desperation, fear and confusion in the face of tragedy or difficult times like the pandemic. Calling to God in suffering does at least 2 things: 1) It confirms our belief and trust in him in tough times, 2) We find true comfort in him who can walk with us like no one else can. Lament and thanksgiving are also not polar opposites. Lament is actually completed by thanksgiving. Again, in Ps 22.27, we hear “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; all families of the nations shall worship him.” 20th C African-American author, historian, sociologist, and civil rights activist, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, says this dual nature of the prayer of lament is found throughout the Song of Songs in its ‘Sorrow Songs’: “The minor cadences of despair often change to triumph and calm confidence. Sometimes it is faith in life, sometimes a faith in death, sometimes assurance of boundless justice in some fair world beyond. But whichever it is, the meaning is always clear: that sometime, somewhere, men will judge men by their souls and not by their skins,” (The Sorrow Songs, par.3, Dubois). Nowhere is this duality more evident that in the great African-American Spirituals where sorrow reaches out with anticipation of a loving God in the promised land: “Deep River, My home is over Jordan. Deep River, Lord, I want to cross over into campground. Don't you want to go, To that Gospel feast, That promised land, Where all is peace? Deep River, Lord, My home is over Jordan.” So, do we need religion? Yes! Because it brings comfort and hope to humankind at the very core of our being where our soul seeks nourishment and expression. Do we need a Messiah? Most definitely! Because the Messiah relieves all suffering, removes all stain of sin, and restores all humanity’s ability to reach heaven. Peter knew Jesus was the Messiah: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And it was easy to determine this, because Peter had seen Jesus answer the prayers of lament in this world, saw him heal the suffering of thousands of men and women, saw him miraculously feed them with bread from heaven, and revive their suffering souls with his words of hope and comfort. Like the old familiar hymn reminds us: “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer!” Let us pray: O loving God, you hear and walk with us through all our trials. Just as you weep with us, help us to weep with others. Just as you bear and ease our physical suffering, help us to bear and ease through redemptive suffering the suffering of others. Just as you comfort us, help us to comfort others. Just as you give us hope, help us to give hope to others. Just as you love us, help us to love others. – Amen. Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Pastor Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Parish Saugeen Shores, Ontario
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Father's Blog
Rev. Fr. Christopher Tracey
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