My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound
of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Disaster overtakes disaster, the
whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my
curtains in a moment. (4:19-20)
Jeremiah is like a person who has just read the newspaper or
watched the evening news. One disaster builds upon another. His
heart races. He feels the ruin as if it were his own. Reading the
latest news, many of us have the same reaction.
The continual pace of human suffering, much of it caused by our own
hands, is staggering. One might be tempted to simply turn away.
Nothing seems to quiet the pounding of our hearts. Jeremiah can’t
turn away. He cannot be silent.
Spiritual connection to creation and each other will disturb our
silence. During Lent, the Spirit groans within us along with creation.
Its groans drive us deep into human wilderness in search of
reconciliation. In the wilderness, we walk with Jesus. We learn the
power of one small act to shatter silence—in witness to the truth of
God’s voice calling us to wholeness and reconciling love.
—Karen Montagno
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