Thursday, February 13, 2003
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my
weeping.
Some of you have been there. You know what it's like. Your grief has been overwhelming and
tears flowed down your face giving you sweet, if temporary, relief.
A funeral director tells about a man who had died. During the visiting hours at the funeral home
the man's grandson had come to see his body. The boy was standing by the casket, crying. His
grandmother came over and the funeral director heard her say, "Don't cry, Jimmy. Each tear you
cry drowns one of God's angels."
What a dumb thing to say to a little boy at the death of his grandfather. If it wasn't so sad it would
be a comedy. Of course, it's all right to cry when you lose someone you love. Nothing is healthier
or more natural for God is always with us in our loss.
(Psalm 6.8
NRSV)
C.S. Lewis that great apologist for the Christian faith was staggered by the death of his wife Joy.
He felt as if he were drunk or had suffered a physical blow to the head--as if there were a blanket
between him and the rest of the world. He was in such pain that he reports that he could not
even pray. Every time he tried, it was as if a door were shut in his face and he could hear it being
bolted from the other side.
Dear God, as I shed tears, touch me with your holiness. Amen.
