Rachel, weeping for her children,
refuses to be comforted,
for her children are no more.
                         Jer 31:15 (The Inclusive Bible)

At tonight’s labyrinth walk, I was greeted by the words of the prophet and an invitation to pray with Rachel and the parents of Newton, Conn.

I entered the familiar hall, changed tonight by the Solstice darkness, the flickering candles, the shadows of silent walkers. It was lovely and it was heart breaking.

The loops and turns led me to converge and then turn away from strangers in a meditative dance even as the faces of children lost to war, poverty, and senseless cruelty haunted my steps.

I have no comfort to offer, no easy solution, no profound analysis; there are only the faces of the dead and the tears of living. All I can do is accompany weeping Rachel through these twists and turns. I am convicted and I am upheld by the Spirit.