Crying
“I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched.”
The Advent and Christmas seasons are a time of high suicide rates. There are voices around us crying because of loneliness. Can you imagine what it would be like to have no friends? To have no one on whom you could rely? To know no one cared about you? All about us are people who will be better persons if we let them know that they are not alone. A prayer from Germany says: "This is our poverty - that we do not belong to each other nor serve one another."
Hunger also makes many people cry. A newscaster was speaking about a destructive cyclone and tidal wave that killed thousands of people in Bangladesh. Photos of starving children were shown with an appeal for food. Then came the commercial: a remedy for those who overeat. As we rush from one feast or party to another, we must listen for the cries of the hungry.
We live on a busy street where there are many sirens and emergency vehicles. After ten years we have learned to blot out much of the noise. One day, a friend mentioned that every time she hears a siren, she says a silent prayer for the person in need of help. Perhaps blotting out sounds is not the best response. There are many people crying this Advent.
For Reflection: What cries have I blotted out?
A Prayer Seed:
Needy and sorrowful, to Thee I cry;
Let Thy salvation set my soul on high,
Then I will sing and praise Thy holy name,
My thankful song Thy mercy shall proclaim.
The Psalter, 1912
