Praying through the Pandemic - Holy Saturday
Many of the psalms of the Hebrew scriptures are prayers of lament. Prayers of lament freely express and even complain about all that is not yet right with the world. Lament is a way of bringing our pain to the Transcendent and leaving it there. On this Holy Saturday, whether you are a person of faith, no faith, or somewhere in between, I invite you to compose your own prayer of lament
This is a nine-step practice for writing your own prayer of lament adapted from Jenna Perinne.
Cry out to the Transcendent (What is your name for the Holy Other, the Divine, the One?)
State your complaint (What is your pain, your heartache, your sadness?)
Affirm your trust (How has the Transcendent been present to you and to the brokenness of the world in the past?)
State your request (What is your deepest desire, what is needed to set things right?)
Make your case (Why should the Transcendent intervene, why is Divine assistance needed right now?)
Name your enemies (What are some of the forces, systems, and powers that prevent goodness and healing from prevailing?)
Acknowledge that you have been heard (Recognize that the desires of your heart have not gone unnoticed or unheeded.)
Look forward to a future where your request has been answered (How will you notice that this painful situation is resolving, what will be the first signs that the tide is turning?)
Give thanks in this moment (What small signs of hope, goodness, and life do you see today?)