January 19, 2021 has been set aside as a national day of mourning for the nearly one million people around the world who have died from COVID-19. Churches are asked to ring their bells at some point during the day. All of us are asked to remember and offer our prayers on their behalf.
This is a ritual that can be done individually or in a small group/household setting.
Begin with a few minutes of silence. Focus on your breath. Gently inhale and exhale. Don’t change your breathing; just be aware of its rhythm. Relax into the silence.
You may light a candle.
Begin to ponder the number, one million. Consider the enormity of the number. Sit with that for a few minutes.
Think about the losses in your own life. Feel the sadness and grief that is so familiar to you. Know that the sadness and grief you feel is the grief of millions. The sadness you release into the universe is the sadness of millions–tears and sighs too deep for words.
In the way your sadness is released into the universe, allow your empathy and care to be released.
Gently breathe in and out and imagine your breath as the vehicle for sending your love and care into the universe. If tears come, let them be; they are another gift to the sadness of the universe.
Just be.
When you are ready, you may offer this prayer:
O God, whose breath brings forth life,
receive the prayer we offer this day.
We open ourselves before you in these quiet moments.
The numbers are staggering.
We remember those whose names and stories
we will never know.
We trust they are known to you.
We trust they are held in your tender embrace.
We remember them in your presence.
There are millions
whose hearts are heavy with grief,
having lost loved ones to the rampage of COVID-19.
Let our care for those whose hearts are breaking
flow from our breath into your world.
Remind us, for ourselves and for others,
that there is no pain, no grief, no sadness
that is beyond the embrace of your love and healing.
Sustain our empathy and compassion that we
may continue to offer our prayers and care
for the sake of your world.
Amen.
The Irreverent Reverend 