The role of lament in prayer
As we look forward towards Lent, Rev’d Jane reminds us that, in a world of conflict and crisis, the power of prayer matters.
There is a type of prayer that can often be overlooked in our church services. We are so focused on praise, thanksgiving and intercession, that we forget the prayer of lament. In the words of the Franciscan priest Richard Rohr:
‘Lamentation is when we speak out to God and one another – stunned, sad, and silenced by the tragedy and absurdity of human events.’
About one third of the psalms are prayers of lament.
‘Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!’ begins Psalm 130. These prayers are timeless pleas from the heart, that help us navigate suffering and remind us we are not alone in our trauma.
It seems to me that there is much to lament in our world today.
A world in crisis
Every time I hear the news, an anxiety in the pit of my stomach grows more acute at the realisation we are in serious trouble: the climate crisis, political turbulence, war and conflict, polarisation, poverty, and to top it all, depressing safeguarding failures within our institutional church.
Lent is the season in our church year when we are invited to pay attention not only to our personal sin but also our collective sin, and the systemic evils embedded within society. We cannot be free from what enslaves us until we name it, confess it, and declare we want nothing more to do with it, and that we long for something better.
Therein lies the hope that is promised on the other side of lamentation. It is not about wallowing in misery but speaking to God about our sorrows and in so doing our imaginations glimpse a God given new possibility. ‘Where there is sorrow, there is holy ground,’ said Oscar Wilde.
The power of lamentation
Lamentation is at its most powerful when it is done together in community. There is solidarity and strength to be found in collective rituals that release our grief.
There will be opportunities for us to come together during Lent for lamentation, for sorrow and for holy ground. The services of Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday all offer space for lament. The Taizé for Healing on 2nd March will also have lament as a focus.
If, like me, you feel saddened by the doom that engulfs us, come and unleash your tears for the world during Lent, trusting in Jesus’s words, that blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
