Week 11 (May 31-June 6)
Monday, June 1: National Day of Mourning and Lament
Religious leaders across lines of faith throughout the United States and Canada urge us to observe Monday, June 1, 2020, as our National Day of Mourning and Lament.
During this day, let us each find ways to remember, honor, mourn and lament the more than 100,000 lives lost in the United States and over 7,000 in Canada due to the coronavirus, as well as the countless black and brown persons who have been lost to police brutality and violence.
Let us gather in the Sacred Heart of Jesus to hold together the memory of those who have lost their lives; the families left behind in the wake of these tragic losses; the valiant health care professionals and first responders who have treated, accompanied and held vigil with those impacted; and those who continue to fight with courage and confidence.
Without flinching our vision, we look squarely into the truth revealed in these months of pandemic: the unequal suffering of those impacted by the pandemic, particularly our black and brown brothers and sisters, the elders of all communities, the First Nations people, and those who have found themselves on the front lines of service. From this truth, we examine our own complicity and co-responsibility to act in ways that advocate for the human dignity of each person.
As believers in the resurrection and the presence of God in the midst of suffering, we gather together today to mourn the lives lost and to pray for the healing of our nations, our earth. We invite you today to join in some time of silence and prayer.
“The pierced Heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and to the anguish of humankind.”
Litany of Remembrance
Let us dwell in the silence of presence…
Be with us, God of our loving
For the first responders who arrive first with the hope of help…
Be with us, God of our loving
For the emergency room and urgent care health care providers whose presence heals hearts…
Be with us, God of our loving
For the health care providers who take the time to reach out to families separated…
Be with us, God of our loving
For the cleaning teams at all medical facilities whose labor is an act of love…
Be with us, God of our loving
For the funeral directors overwhelmed with need who have not tired in the face of grief…
Be with us, God of our loving
Let us dwell in the silence of presence…
Be with us, God of our holding
For those who continued on the front lines because they could not choose to shelter in place…
Be with us, God of our holding
For those who experience food and housing insecurity in this time of economic strife…
Be with us, God of our holding
For those who have learned to receive help rather than give it…
Be with us, God of our holding
For those who experience unemployment and linger in the unknown reality of the future…
Be with us, God of our holding
For those who have navigated this time alone…
Be with us, God of our holding
Let us dwell in the silence of presence…
Be with us, God of our remembering
For those who could not travel to the side of a family member, friend, colleague or neighbor struggling in the fight for life…
Be with us, God of our remembering
For the grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and cousins lost in the virus that moved more rapidly than our response…
Be with us, God of our remembering
For the teachers, nurses, doctors, mental health professionals and friends who helped a child to accept the loss of a parent…
Be with us, God of our remembering
For the colleagues, friends, acquaintances and competitors who created social solidarity across the loss of someone who connected them…
Be with us, God of our remembering
For the husbands, wives, partners and religious communities whose hearts enfold a hole that will not be filled in this time of grief…
Be with us, God of our remembering
Let us dwell in the silence of presence…
Be with us, God of our trusting
For the hope that we share and the ways that we stretch across boundaries and barriers and embrace our union as one human family in our lamentations and mourning…
Be with us, God of our trusting
For the commitment we make to build bridges of relationship and create a ribbon of love around the globe…
Be with us, God of our trusting
For the desire we have to allow the loss we feel to find meaning in the way we live this day in such a way that we honor the valiant lives lost…
Be with us, God of our trusting
For the power of our live lived as “one body” to discover the “new frontiers” in our refusal to be silent in the face of the suffering of others…
Be with us, God of our trusting
For the courage to live the love we have been given and the responsibility to be women and men of conscience, compassion and generosity…
Be with us, God of our trusting
Loving God, be with us
In our loving
In our holding
In our remembering
In our trusting
Let us be instruments of making your heart visible in the world
Resource:
Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns National Day of Mourning, June 1
