Stop, pause, remember. In the pell mell race to get the pandemic over with, excitement tramples memory. One million dead in the U.S., six-million world wide; they fade from consciousness as we rush prematurely toward what we think is normality. After the last great pandemic, the dead were forgotten as the country raced into what would be known as the roaring '20s. We owe the dead of this pandemic the honor of memory. Stop, pause, remember.
In what may be the first requiem for those lost to the Corona virus pandemic, Claremont Presbyterian Church, music director Geri DeMasi has composed a celebration of the dead that will be performed Sunday evening, April 10 at 7 pm both in the sanctuary and online. (See the church web site for a link.)
Join us. And, especially, if you have friends or neighbors who have lost loved ones or friends, tell them about the requiem and invite them to join us in beautiful lament.
There are many forms of lament—the Psalms being among them. To me, one of the most powerful is the requiem, music that grew from the funeral mass into what are often memorial concerts. Among them are Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, and a Hebrew Requiem written by Austrian-American Eric Zeisl as a memorial to those lost in the Holocaust.
DeMasi's requiem follows the form of the Latin Mass with voice, instrument, and spoken word.
For this week's Lectio Divina, I've chosen this passage.
Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest;
Grant them eternal rest.
Use the text as the object for Lectio Divina, a slow contemplative way of praying, as this introduction from St. Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo explains:
First, read or listen to the verse (lectio). Ask whether there is a word of phrase that jumps out at you, grabs your attention.
Second, reflect on it (meditatio). Ruminate on the passage a bit. What is God saying to you?
Third, respond (oratio). Out loud is okay; so, too, is journaling or prayer. If you are so moved, share your thoughts in the Comment section below.
Fourth, rest (contemplatio). Sit quietly for a few minutes, just letting your thoughts and meditation sink in.
See how that works. Let me know in the "Comments" section below.
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Join us on Friday morning at 8 Pacific time for silent Centering Prayer. If you need the internet URL, email me at charlestaylorkerchner@gmail.com We are also associated with the Meditation Chapel, a worldwide network of that offers over 100 online meditation opportunities a week. I can help you register, if you wish.