Annual Parish Retreat - Day 3

Last night's session began with a relaxation method to prepare us for meditation. "Breathe in, breathe out.... relax as you sit comfortably, with closed eyes, feeling the sensations of your head, your face..... all parts of your body.." the voice of Sr. Susan speaks to us,  reassuringly.
After the 10 minutes of quiet meditation, the introductory song "Consciousness Awakening" was played to put us in the mood for the night's session.

Day 3 of the Parish Retreat was on the 2nd Movement - Season of Disorientation. What happens when our lives are turned upside down, as individuals, or as a communtiy? We ask: "Why? Why is this happening to me?. Feelings of anger, resentment, self-pity and hatred are evoked.

It is with this sense of 'Disoritentation' that the Psalms of Lamentations are composed. For example, Ps 13 - A prayer of deliverance form enemies.. he first 2 verses expressed the 'angst' of the author - 'How Long O Lord? ... is repeated over and over again. Verses 3 -4 expresses a petition to God but the last verses 5-6 expresses his faith and trust in God. There is a movement from disorientation to new orientation.
We recited Ps 137 and then heard it sung in Hebrew "By the Rivers of Babylon.." It is a lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem.

The structure of these Lamentation Psalms appears to go through 5 stages (according to Bruggerman)
These stages can be liken to the 5 stages experienced by patients waiting to die (according to Kubler-Ross) 1. Denial   2. Anger   3. Bargaining    4. Depression    5. Acceptance
The structure of the Lamentation Psalm also has 5 elements, except there is no Denial and no Depression:
 1. Address to God (No Denial)    2. Anger/Complaint   3. Motivation (cf Ps 30:9)  4. Petition (because there is a partner - no depression    5. Praise. (Ps 13:5-6)

There is a movement from 'PLEA to PRAISE!
Participants were then given an assigment to write their own Lamentation Psalm!

Day 3 - Second Movement -Season of Disorientation -Lamentation Psalms