Healing Words for a Grieving Planet

    We are always looking for the perfect word.  That word which will bring a knowing smile, or an understanding nod. The kinds of words which are soft yet strangely explosive. The kinds of words which carve the initials of God’s love in our hearts. Words which when spoken into the void created our universe. Words  which when spoken in final, painful, rasping breaths birthed  redemption. We search the scripture for those words. We read and reread the reflections of ancient saints upon Biblical revelation. We consider meditations by those asking in prayerful trust for reason and understanding. And we shed tears with those, who in their search for cosmic answers scream and cry their unutterable anguish to the night stars. 

And just the moment we think we have found it, located that right word which at one and the same time expresses how deep is the hurt and longing, whilst also celebrating inexpressible hope; it seems that then the day turns to night and night to morning. With the passing of another day we often find that yesterdays perfect word is insufficient for today's reality. It is, for that reason difficult to find healing words for a grieving planet such as our own. 

As we make our way stoically and resolutely to another Easter we pray that this year will be different than last when our current prolonged season of grieving began. Last Easter we were furtively shutting down our society. Churches realized that we could not in good conscience continue with physical public worship—not knowing region by region what the actual threat level was. We missed Easter. Mothers Day. Made the Fourth of July and Labor Day. We were open for Halloween. Shuttered again for the central celebratory season of the year—Thanksgiving to Christmas. So, we missed sharing the last Thanksgiving dinner ever with someone we loved. Others fell back upon the spirit of Christmas past—Christmas present—cancelled; and Christmas future unrevealed in unknowable fog. 

Peace is a word that we might speak to bring healing to a grieving planet. Biblical peace. Not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of God. How about hope? Hope allows us to see the future as an open vista for new achievement and even, dare we say, adventure. So, hope, and peace let’s begin there. And then love. Love is a word which can and often does mean many things. Admittedly, some of the ways we use the term are hard to figure out. She says she loves chocolate, her cat, and her husband: without any noticeable distinction between the affection felt for three very different entities. So yes, we need love but it needs to be a higher, nobler love. A love which rises above mere preference requiring depth and investment.

So, let us review. Peace. Hope. Love. These words when spoken broadly and boldly will, if not bring healing, at least abet it. And faith. We must learn to “believe in one another again.” Or at least believe in our leaders. Our institutions. Minimally, we must believe in our beliefs. 

Peace, hope, love, faith. This is where it kind of gets sticky in our PostModern society. Because even the adamantly non-religious would recognize that the way we have considered and configured these terms reflects a clear religious—if not outright Christian bias. Man is by nature  incurably religious. Most human beings—the ostensible occupants of the grieving planet we seek to comfort—are religious. Despite the rising tide of secularism and in flat defiance of the Enlightenment and post-enlightenment assault human beings have not lost faith. As the old expression goes “there are no atheists in fox-holes.” During the year of our Lord 2020—the whole pathetic, petty, puny, planet—was nothing more than our global foxhole. 

What we need is a word which not only exalts our spirit but which also gives us a glimpse of the next, nobler thing to which we can all aspire. Yes, it may be somewhat religious, but at some point perhaps the secularists, the romantics and the resolutely religious can go their separate ways; after we have buried the dead and given our planet sufficient time to grieve for lost youth, lost opportunity, lost ground. Lost lives. 

After a life of study. After a youth spent thumbing through Encyclopedias and Dictionaries for exciting, new, interesting ideas I think I have maybe found the word. After considering everything we have been through: pandemic, panic, hatred, political divisiveness I think that I have found a single word which can bring the peace the hope the love the faith we need to heal our grieving planet and consider our service to one another going forward:

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (ESV)

Yes. That is just the right word.