Remembering all of us who mourn
And are not comforted
All of us who are poor
And not feeling particularly blessed
because of it.
Lift us up Suffering Servant
When we no longer wish to be told
That we will be stronger in the broken places
Or that we will not be given
more than we can handle
or that all will be well
because while the night may be full of tears
joy will come to us in the morning.
I pray for those of us who are
too exhausted to even ask
why things are the way they are.
And those too hurt
to look for silver linings
Or too annoyed with people
who try to cheer us up
when we’d rather grieve and be left alone.
Crucified One
Be with me
when I just want to feel my pain
and enter into it more deeply
Be with me
so I can be opened by it.
Be with me
as you and I
pray inside it.
Note: This prayer was inspired by these words from Persian Poet Hafiz (14th c.): “Don’t surrender your loneliness so quickly. Let it cut more deep . Let it ferment and season you as few human or even divine ingredients can. Something missing in my heart tonight has made my eyes so soft, my voice so tender, my need of God absolutely clear.”
