The Cruelest Month

"The Cruelest Month"

Perhaps you recognize this reference.  It's a description of April from "The Waste Land", by T.S. Eliot.  Eliot's poem, written in the aftermath of the First World War, noted the irony of spring, with its new life, in them midst of a broken Europe, lately consumed in a once unimaginable conflict.  These words resonate today in a way they have not my entire life.

I remember studying Eliot in school, but it's funny how snippets from a long ago education can resurface later in life.  Sometimes these appearances are totally random, other times they are eerily appropriate.  As we saw his mornings unemployment numbers, some 6.6 million added to the rolls, far eclipsing last weeks already ghastly figures of more than 3 million, we would do well to remember the cruelty of this month, as jobs are lost, careers mourned, fears for the future mount.  These statistics represent real people, someone you or I know, perhaps you or me.

In these moments, we should turn to our family and friends for support, be willing to look to the community for assistance, and remember that God is with us.  He knows our pain and suffering.  In a little over a week, we'll read of Jesus on the cross and his lament, taken from Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  But in his moment of loss, Jesus acknowledged the presence and wisdom of God, saying "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

During these times of worry, of fear, of uncertainty, we can rage at God; he'll listen.  But we should also remember that he is there, listening to us, wishing to support us in our grief, and, we hope and pray, our recovery.