FOR THE SOULS OF THE DEPARTED, TODAY AND TOMORROW

Trinity Church, Copley Sq. Boston

For the 218,746 souls of whatever faith or none who in our land have as of this day lost their lives to this virus let me offer the following: 

Isaiah 3:1-3

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  

Romans 14:6-8

Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the LORD.  Also those who eat, eat in honor of the LORD, since they give thanks to GOD; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the LORD and give thanks to God.  We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.  If we live, we live to the LORD, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the LORD'S.

Salat al-Janazah

O GOD, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females.  O GOD,  whoever You keep alive, keep him alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause him to die with faith. . . . O GOD forgive him and have mercy on him. . . . 

May they rest in peace. May the hundreds who will die today rest in peace. May those who stand before their GOD on a day that for many could have been avoided rest in peace. For each of us who will die from this plague, whether by carelessness or of necessity, whether preventable or not preventable, may we find rest eternal and perpetual light. May our memory be a blessing.  In peace let us pray, Nina Naomi.

 

JOURNEY OF SELF-PERCEPTION

I'm going to share with you writing prompts for cultivating resilience that are from a project to test the benefits of expressive writing for those in crisis, specifically the COVID-19 crisis.  Although our own crises may not be limited to this pandemic, since many of us live through more than one crisis or trauma in our life and often simultaneously. The writing is only for ourselves and can include the past as we wish.  The instructions are to respond for about 15-20 minutes to each prompt and to do so with patience and compassion for ourselves.   What I'm sharing is an abbreviated version. 

1.   Write about your deepest thoughts and feelings about how this crisis is affecting you personally.  Try to use the time to reflect upon the issues most important to you at this time.  For example, how the crisis is affecting your day-to-day activities, your mental and physical health, your relationships, etc.

2.  Dig deeper.  What fears, difficult emotions and losses have you experienced or do you anticipate?  All emotions are welcome.  (If this becomes too bothersome stop and take a break.  No prompt needs to be completed.  It's up to us based upon the compassion we show ourselves.) 

3.  Now write about your experience from a different perspective:  a wise friend, a future you, a divine or neutral observer or anything that comes to mind.  This could be in the form of a letter to yourself or to someone else, or not.  

4.  Try to tie together the threads of your writing so far into a wish or intention for the future.  What is important to you in continuing to navigate this crisis?  What values matter most right now?  How do you want to relate to yourself and others now and in the future?

5.  Mindful writing:  awareness without judging. impartially witnessing our own experience with compassion.  For ten minutes begin each sentence with "I am aware that. . . " or "I am aware of. . . ."

I liked the last prompt best.  I found so many things I was aware of having to do with my own coping skills and the life I lead that I had not exactly thought of before.  The writing became a positive experience.  See what you think.  

To be continued . . . .

THREE PRAYERS FOR THE PANDEMIC

Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY

This gate to a private part of the Abbey where Trappist Monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) lived reminds us to rely upon God alone.  To God alone be the Glory.  But what it makes me think of is that God may be alone, but we are not.  You may have seen these prayers, but like many good things, they bear repeating.  The first one was chosen by a member of my church for the daily parishioner devotions that we began when gathering became unsafe.  See if these don't resonate with you.

May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. 

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close
Remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips
Remember those who have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

AMEN

This prayer is by Cameron Bellm, a Seattle mother of two and a member of her local Catholic parish.  The next one is more traditional and is from the Anglican New Zealand Prayer Book (1988).


For People Facing Great Uncertainty
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the frantic heart;
bring hope and courage to your people as we wait in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make us the equal of whatever lies ahead.
Bring us courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.

AMEN

I love the direct address to God as "God of the present moment."  That is where I want God to be.  The prayer is a pastoral liturgy to be prayed in crisis situations.  Another, for people watching at a death, begins "God of the Dark Night . . . ."  

One more prayer [with some editing], by the Right Rev. Richard Bott, Moderator (most senior elected official) of the United Church of Canada.  

A Prayer during times of COVID-19
In this time of COVID-19 we pray:
When we aren't sure God, help us be calm;
when information comes from all sides, correct and not, help us discern;
when fear makes it hard to breathe and anxiety seems to be the order of the day God, slow us down;
help us reach out with our hearts when we can't touch with our hands; 
help us be socially connected when we have to be socially distant;
help us love as perfectly as we can, knowing that "perfect love casts out all fear."

For the doctors we pray.
For the nurses we pray.
For the technicians and the janitors and the aides and the caregivers, we pray.
For the researchers and theorists, the epidemiologists and investigators,
for those who are sick and those who are grieving we pray.
For all who are affected all around the world . . .
we pray for safety, for health, for wholeness.

May we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty,
clothe the naked and house those without homes;
may we walk with those who feel they are alone,
and may we do all we can to heal the sick--
in spite of the epidemic, in spite of the fear.

Help us O God that we might help each other.
In the love of the Creator, in the name of the Healer,
in the life of the Holy Spirit that is in all and with all, we pray.
May it be so.
AMEN

Yes, may it be so.  With care for us all, Nina Naomi

Andrea Del Sarto, Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist, 1512

 









 

WEEK 8. ARE YOU OK?

We woke up to tornado warnings the other week.  There was a touchdown just west of the neighboring historic Town of Hillsborough  but no loss of life.  The coronavirus death toll in the US however is over 68,957 souls, highest among the world's nations.  We have over 1,192,906 confirmed cases.  In our nuclear family alone two adults and a teen have survived it.  They aren't among the counted.  

I spent one morning drafting a letter to a person I care about who suffers from mental illness (I seldom hit SEND). Donald Trump wondered aloud in a press briefing whether an IV (intravenous) drip of cleaning fluid might be the way to go.  

We're starting to open so that people who aren't being paid have a chance at solvency.  But science says it's too soon and lives will continue to be lost.  In the increased-risk-zone due to age, I can't imagine when we and our friends will sit together to order a meal; or hug each other.  If school resumes in the fall we won't be able to attend the band concerts or football games (if there are any).  It's the same for all of us.  Balancing risks.  When will we really feel safe?

So here's what is puzzling.  Why aren't we all depressed?  Why aren't we all curled up in fetal position with unwashed hair and empty bags of chips?  I know there's despair, but what's amazing is that it isn't more wide-spread.  Lines of people passing out food or receiving it; parents helping with school work; a grandma babysitting via Zoom while mom works from home (now that's tricky!).  Almost every entertainment you can think of now available online for free:  music, art, yoga, book clubs, guided meditations, even a hair-cutting tutorial.  Fees waived, grading relaxed, deadlines extended. . . .  My doctor gave me my annual over the phone.  "Can you check your vitals for me?" she asked.  She queried my mood in ways that weren't routine.  A new Covid protocol I suppose.  I appreciate it.  

I think that's the answer as to why we aren't all depressed basically all the time:  because there's so much to appreciate.  Right now we're sheltering in eastern North Carolina where not as many people wear protective masks.  But not out of invincibility or unconcern.  People were disappointed for many reasons to see Vice President Pence refuse to wear a mask when he visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, a high risk zone to be sure. But Carteret County is rural.  Nothing is open except for necessaries.  Beach access is closed to visitors.  There's plenty of space.  There have been only 27 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths.  

So although I wake up worried, I also wake up grateful.  I bet you do too.  The skies are clear, the birds are singing, I've picked up my groceries from the drive-through (and tipped well; the least I can do) and don't have to go in to work.  We Zoomed with other family yesterday and they're all OK.  Things we might not have noticed before the pandemic, we now do.  Like being alive for one.  Not being sick, the children well, having a safe place to isolate, having friends to call (yes, the media has noticed that people are actually talking on the phone, not just texting).  I never feel bored.  I wonder if you feel the same.  I'd love to know.  For some reason, these limitations have re-calibrated our expectations and we've become more appreciative of what we have and who we are.  The employed in our family appreciate working--mostly from home but not all.  The stay-at-homes appreciate not working. The young people seem to cope the best.  What we couldn't all learn from them!

So whatever we're doing let's keep it up.  If we're doing less, let's stick with that.  If we're paying more attention to each other, let's keep that up.  Whatever it is that is helping us persevere and even have good days, let's do more of that.  And if you want to share, please do.            Nina Naomi