There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. Washington Irving
Meditation: People are weeping. They have lost loved ones. Hundreds were killed in recent natural disasters. 58 people or more have died from gunshot wounds inflicted by a random act of terrorism by a US citizen. Politicians and many in our divided country have moved on to critical debates, which is understandable. However, many families are grieving. They are being changed forever. In one day, everything changed. There is sacredness in tears. They are powerful. They speak the unspeakable. They are the messengers the world needs to see first of all. We need to hear the mourning first and not only the debates, the arguments, the rational and irrational discussions. “Where have you put them?” Those victims of the hurricanes? Those victims of the massacre? What are their names? Let us join their families in days and weeks of weeping and of mourning. Let us keep crying for longer than a demonstrative silent minute. Let us share the sacredness of life and of death, of love and of tears with each other.
Prayer: God of life, we drive in our cars to work as if nothing had happened. And yet tears well up when we hear the names of the victims, see images of their suffering, hear their stories and imagine their loved ones. Your Spirit gives us empathy and tears for strangers as a sign of human connection and love. This is the only power that will help us as human race to rise above our current times. As community and followers of Christ, we weep with those who are weeping. Let us allow our tears to flow freely. Nothing else has the power to resurrect us. Nothing else will restore us as a uniting church, as a uniting country and as a uniting world as tears do. And You, God, You weep with us. Amen
He asked, “Where have you put him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. John 11:34-35
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