God calls us to comfort the mourning. When the sister of one of our small Christian Community members passed away, we struggled with how to comfort them.
We discovered a video on an ancient Jewish tradition called “Sitting Shiva,” which seemed to share the Latin root of, “compassion” which means, “to suffer with.” The intent is to sit with the mourning person, with no expectations for conversation, but to simply be present and suffer with them.
Eight of us crowded into our small front room. We watched the video, then said we are going to sit shiva with you. Our friend smiled, shook his head and laughed, and then the words came rolling out. He laughed, and cried, sharing stories for nearly an hour and a half.
This spiritual warrior of a man, who had put his entire family on his back during the funeral, was finally allowed to mourn himself. Our group still sees that as one of our favorite meetings – not for what we put into it, but for allowing the Holy Spirit to move through our silent support.
Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Father of Grace and Mercy – Help us to set aside our fears and sit shiva with those who mourn. Allow us to be channels of your peace, even in our silence. Amen.