Soul Food: Religious Poetry for the Bereaved

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Spiritual wisdom transcends cultural boundaries when we face grief and loss. Ancient prayers and poetry from Buddhist, Christian, Shinto, Islamic, and Jewish traditions offer comfort by acknowledging pain while providing perspective on life's impermanence.

• Dalai Lama reminds us that suffering comes from wanting permanence in an impermanent world
• Christian prayers acknowledge Jesus who also experienced grief and wept
• Buddhist metaphor of cherry blossoms shows beauty and brevity go hand-in-hand
• Shinto prayer connects us as brothers and sisters across oceans
• Merit Malloy's poem encourages us to find the deceased in our connections with others
• Biblical lamentations honestly express grief while maintaining hope
• Common themes include accepting impermanence and finding meaning in loss.

As you listen, consider sending me your thoughts and questions on grief, both spiritual and practical, so we can walk this path together.

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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WHILE GRIEVING IS AVAILABLE

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Episode Transcript

I welcome you to Solace (00:11):
Soul + Grief.
My name's Candee Lucas and I'ma grief chaplain.
I accompany those who aregrieving any kind of loss and I

(00:37):
ask that you let me accompanyyou today.
You're always welcome in thiscircle of healing, love and
support.
Remember, we are all on thisjourney together, passing

(01:03):
through life, progressing to oldage and eventually death.
It is not sufficient to takecare of the body.
We need to take care of ouremotions as well.
From the Dalai Lama-- it is notimpermanence that makes us

(01:28):
suffer.
What makes us suffer is wantingthings to be permanent when
they are not--.
From Thich Nhat Hanh Prayer ofLoss.
Dearest Jesus, who wept at thedeath of your friend and taught

(01:54):
that they who mourn shall becomforted, grant us the comfort
of your presence in our loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to directus lest we make hasty or
foolish decisions.
Send your Spirit to give uscourage, lest, thou fear we

(02:15):
recoil from living.
Send your spirit to bring usyour peace, lest bitterness,
false guilt or regret take rootin our hearts.
The Lord had given, the Lordhas taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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This is a Buddhist prayer.
--With every breath I taketoday, I vow to be awake, and
every step I take I vow to takewith a grateful heart so I may
see with eyes of love into thehearts of all I meet, to ease

(03:02):
their burden when I can andtouch them with a smile of peace
.
This life of ours would notcause you sorrow if you thought
of it as like the mountaincherry blossoms which bloom and
fade in a day--.

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This is a Shinto prayer forpeace.
--Although the people livingacross the ocean surround us, I
believe, are all our brothersand sisters.
Why are there constant troublesin the world?

(03:43):
Why do winds and waves rise inthe oceans around us?
I only earnestly wish that thewind will soon puff away all the
clouds which are hanging overthe tops of mountains--.
And from the Quran --and verily, the hereafter will be better

(04:14):
for you than the present--.
I give you this one thought tokeep I am with you.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripenedground.

(04:35):
I am the gentle autumn rainwhen you awaken in the morning's
hush.
I am the swift, uplifting rushof quiet birds in circled flight
.
I am the soft stars that shineat night.
Do not think of me as gone.

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I am with you still in each newdawn.
May their memories be ablessing.
When I die, give what's left ofme away to children and old men
that wait to die.
And if you need to cry, cry foryour brother walking the street

(05:21):
beside you, and when you needme, put your arms around anyone
and give to them what you needto give to me.
I want to leave you something,something better than words or
sounds.
Look for me in the people I'veknown.
Give me a way.
Look for me in the people I'veknown.
Give me away.

(05:42):
I want to leave you something,something better than words or
sounds, or loved.
And if you cannot give me away,at least let me live in your
eyes and not on your mind.
You can love me most by lettinghands touch hands, by letting

(06:04):
bodies touch bodies and byletting go of children that need
to be free.
Love doesn't die.
People do so when all that'sleft of me is love.

(06:25):
Look for me in the people I'veknown and give me away.
That's a poem from Merit Malloy.
Inthe Book of Lamentations, book

(06:47):
3, verse 26.
Let--Let us search and examineour ways and turn back to the
Lord.
Let us lift up our hearts withour hands to God in heaven.
You have screened yourself offwith a cloud that no prayer may
pass through.
My eyes shed streams of water.

(07:11):
My eyes shall flow withoutcease, without respite, until
the Lord looks down and beholdsfrom heaven.
My eyes have brought me grief.
Waters float over my head.
I said I am lost.
I have called on your name, oLord.
Hear my plea.
Do not shut your ear to mygroan, to my cry.

(07:37):
You have ever drawn nigh when Icalled you.
You have said do not fear.
You have championed my cause, oLord.
You have redeemed my life.
You have heard me, o Lord--.

(08:04):
That concludes this week'sepisode.
You can find us on Apple,Spotify or Amazon.
Feel free to send any questionsyou might have about grieving
to my email i n the show notesI'll try to answer any questions
you have in the future.
Remember I'm always availablefor spiritual direction by Zoom

(08:30):
to those who are grieving.
Please reach out to me if youhave this need.
Be safe.
Travel with God always at yourside.