THE COMFORT OF MOURNING

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

The National Days of Mourning in the United Kingdom for the death of Queen Elizabeth II as covered on television are a salutary reminder of the need for a solemn period of grieving on the death of a loved one. The occasion of the death of such a beloved figure as the Queen is a once in a lifetime event. For seventy years she has reigned as Head of State and has been a symbol of stability in an ever-changing world where political leaders come and go, and governments rise and fall. It is significant that the events we witness are marked by ceremonies that are serious and dignified. The royal family functions as deputies for the nation in showing their love and respect, not only for a mother and grandmother, but also for the embodiment of her grace, service and faith. Those who observe them are touched emotionally by their genuine appreciation of her life. There is no frivolity or superficiality about it. The coffin is conveyed in silence, except by bagpipes. Church services are accompanied by organ, choirs and congregational hymns, such as the Twenty-third Psalm. The military stand guard, the clergy are robed, the officials and family are dressed formally. There is nothing casual about it. Crowds line the streets. Bouquets of flowers are laid at the palace gates. Tears are shed. People line up for hours to view the casket during the lying-in-state. There is no display of partisanship. Her Majesty’s Prime Minister and Her Majesty’s Leader of the Opposition stand side by side. Prime Minister’s of both political parties give tributes.

For a moment we see the value of grieving and the appropriate means of remembering a loved one. Too often today there is the tendency to minimize and deny the nature of death by substituting celebrations for mourning. Humor is a way of deflecting the reality of loss. Memorial services without a coffin or urn can lack solemnity. While we do indeed celebrate the promise of resurrection and the Christian hope of eternal life, there is a need to acknowledge our loss and to be able to mourn. Only in that way can we be truly comforted.

By dying in Scotland the Queen gave us a glimpse of how the Scots valued her life. She was a Presbyterian in Scotland and it was appropriate that St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh hosted her service and lying-in-state. At Westminster Abbey her state funeral will be according to the rite of the Church of England. She will be interred at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.

The only book she endorsed was The Servant Queen and the King she serves, a tribute for her 90^th birthday. In it she wrote the Foreword which closed with these words:

“As I embark on my 91^st year, I invite you to join me in reflecting on the words of a poem quoted by my father, King George VI, in his Christmas Day broadcast in 1939, the year that this country went to war for the second time in a quarter of a century.

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year

‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’

And he replied, ‘

Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.’”

ELIZABETH R.