1st Friday of Lent (February 23). Behold and see

Prepare to Listen.  Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
 
Prayerfully Read Lamentations 1:11-13
11All her people groan as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength.
Look, O LORD, and see how worthless I have become.
 
12Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
   which was brought upon me,
which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.
 
13From on high he sent fire; it went deep into my bones;
he spread a net for my feet; he turned me back;
he has left me stunned, faint all day long.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
I never paid much attention to these verses, never noticed how disturbing they are.  They were applied to Jesus and thus I could ignore them, or so I thought.  That may be comforting, but it misses the point.  What do you think?
 
The poem is about the real experience, the over-powering grief and loss of the poet.  His beloved city, Jerusalem and the temple were in ruins, his people were groaning in futile searches for bread for their starving children.  In his helplessness he cried, “Look, O LORD, and see how worthless I have become.”  He wonders at the people who pass by, ignoring his pain and suffering, and begs them, “Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.”  He blames the LORD for inflicting the pain on him in his “fierce anger.”  It’s not surprising that he and his people were stunned and faint and felt worthless.
 
We may be more privileged today.  We’re not groaning for food; we don’t feel worthless.  And then we hear Jeremiah say: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?”  Is that a rebuke for us, the privileged few?  We feel powerless to help, and, afraid to look on more suffering, we walk on by.  The poet challenges us to stop and look.  Practice the steadfast love of the Lord, that compassionate love that stands in solidarity with those in need.  Sometimes, all we can offer is our loving presence, our silent companionship.
 
Yes, these words can be applied to Jesus, who always stands in loving solidarity with all the needy of the world today.  Behold, and see them too and, as you do, see Jesus in them.
 
Towards what do you sense the Spirit nudging you today?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord, give me the courage to practice with you a love that doesn’t pass by the poor and needy.  May they experience your loving presence through me.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Look and see.