Lament & Consolation
September 14, 2025
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me, far from my prayer, from the words of my cry? O my God, I cry out by day, and you answer not; by night, and there is no relief for me.” –Psalm 22:2-3
Today, we commemorate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This year, we liturgically celebrate this feast under the shadow of the tragic events just a few weeks ago at Annunciation Parish and School in Minneapolis, where in an act of sinful hatred and violence, children were attacked, wounded, and killed while participating in the Eucharist. One of the most profound kinds of prayers is the prayer of lament. We talk about prayers of praise, adoration, and petition more often because we naturally tend toward experiences, even spiritual experiences, which are pleasurable rather than those that are painful. But according to Mark Vroegop, author of the book, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, “the practice of lament talks to God about pain. It has a unique purpose: trust. It is a divinely given invitation to pour out our fears, frustrations, and sorrows.” About one third of the Psalms in the Bible are classified as laments, and Jesus prayed a lament, Psalm 22, while he hung dying on his cross. Lament is a dialogue with God in the midst of suffering where our very lives become a question “thrown at” God. God is never threatened by our honestly laying bare our hearts in prayer. But in the end, every prayer of lament concludes with an act of trust in God, even in the moment of our greatest distress.
“Jesus answered them, ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour: Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’”–John 12:27-28
There is no philosophical or theological reason to the question of suffering, why bad things happen to good people or why those acting immorally seem to prosper, why children suffer violence and disease. As we were reminded in last weekend’s reading from the Book of Wisdom, “Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” God’s answer to human suffering and death cannot be reduced to a logical argument. It is the gift of his eternal Son, Jesus, who did not grasp at his divinity, but humbled himself to suffer with us (com-passio), becoming obedient unto death, death on a cross. (Philippians 2: 6-8) The obedience and compassion of Jesus undoes the selfishness and violence of sin, precisely by displacing himself from comfort to suffer with us all the violence, mental and physical, that we humans daily commit against each other. Thus, Jesus becomes the reconciliation between God and human beings and between humans. As expressed so beautifully by theologian Romano Guardini in his book, The Lord, “God followed us into the no man’s land which sin had ripped open. God not only glanced down at us and summoned us lovingly to return, he personally entered into that vacuous dark to fetch us . . . God alone can ‘handle’ sin. Only God sees through it, weighs it, judges it with a judgment that condemns the sin but loves the sinner. Attempting the same, we would break. This then is the Love, re-establisher of justice . . . known as Grace.” In the face of the ugliness, violence, and hatred unleashed at Christ’s Passion, the glorious triumph of the Cross is the triumph of compassion over selfishness, obedience over pride, and non-violent love over the machinations of human power.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” –Matthew 13:45-46
As we continue the Jubilee Year of Hope, this weekend we celebrate the Jubilee of Consolation. Consolation ministry is when we, united with and in Christ, displace ourselves out of our comfort zones and compassionately accompany those who are experiencing loss, illness, violence, or abuse. Over the past year, two of our parishioners, Denise Kearl and Marcia Schneider, have been participating in a leadership formation process to bring this kind of ministry to Assumption Parish. BeFriender Ministry is an active listening ministry, a ministry of consolation to those who are undergoing times of illness, grief, or loss. They provide the nonjudgemental presence of Jesus to those who need to talk about their trials and suffering; not counseling or giving advice but loving through confidential listening. This weekend, Marcia and Denise will witness before Masses and be commissioned for their ministry. Our next step is for them to call forth the gifts of compassion in our parishioners, inviting us to be trained in this ministry of mercy and training a core group of BeFriender ministers. When these volunteers are formed, we can begin offering this service to our neighbors in need, hopefully in early 2026. Please open your hearts to their appeal for volunteers and discern in prayer if God is calling you to move beyond your comfort zone to accompany our sisters and brothers in need. May we as a parish community honestly and courageously receive the uncomfortable benefits of lament, standing in prayerful communion be neath the glorious Cross of Christ, so that each one of us may find healing, reconciliation, and peace while accompanying as compassionate servant ministers those in pain and grief, bringing them consolation in the midst of their suffering.