A lament for Creeslough

The sound of lament is heard throughout the Bible. It is rooted in our ancient biblical past through the weeping of 'Rachel for her children' (Jeremiah 31:15). In the bible we encounter cries of grief, distress, oppression, displacement, protest, pain, anguish and a timeless expression of the weeping voice of God, in whose image and likeness we are all made.

Creeslough is twinned with Calvary. Together we stand at this station of sorrow. We all feel the searing pain of this moment in our collective and individual lament. We all cry for the loss of life and for the loss of a future. Our lament expresses a painful paradox: that in the midst of life - we are in death.

In our time, the haunting sounds of lament are heard across our fractured world: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Thailand, Myanmar, Palestine, Nicaragua, the Ughurs in China, the plight and danger endured by migrants in their search for a welcome and a home and the victims of knife and gun crime across London…..

Agus anois… An Craoslach… le croíthe briste…

We name the ten people who died in Creeslough, believing that God 'calls each one of us by name' (Isaiah 43:1).

Shauna Flanagan-Garwe and her father, Robert Garwe. Leona Harper, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher. Martin Mc Gill, James O' Flaherty, Martina Martin. Catherine O' Donnell and her son, James Monaghan.

London has its varied sounds of lament: in the voices of those who queue for food, in the voices of homeless, in the voices of the elderly, in grieving parents who face the suicide of one of their children, in a young person who is trapped by cocaine or another addiction, in a marriage break up, in those impacted by the financial crisis, in those who have to beg for food for their families and in that unique quality of silence in a palliative care hospice.

The recent time of mourning for Queen Elizabeth - united Britain's different faiths, traditions and cultures. People gathered to sign Condolence Books, bring flowers and messages, to stand in silence, prayer and long overnight procession queues to lament and honour her memory and service with respect.

It was a reminder that the ancient language of lament is still expressive and that it has not, as yet, become a lost language, in a society that tends to be so preoccupied and too busy to stop and face the reality of death.

As we lament in silence for Creeslough, we all share a Donegal accent that is now our universal mother tongue. But fluency is not a requirement for prayer as we mourn and lament the loss of ten precious lives. Jesus gives us a tip on how to pray - 'do not heap up empty phrases when you are praying' (Matthew 6:7).

Our authentic lament here at our inter-faith- prayer-service is grounded in the experiences of Irish people who have made London their home. I also welcome the people who have joined us from other faith traditions, nationalities and cultures. Your prayer and presence with us is appreciated. As we say in Irish…..Céad Míle Fáilte.

Together, we believe that our lament for Creeslough is heard, held and healed by our God, 'who is close to the broken hearted' (Psalm 34:18).

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. In the shelter of each other, people survive.