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Communal Tragedy

Memorial wall with photos and plaques honoring Yitzhak Rabin at Tel Aviv assassination site.

As individuals, we all know pain and loss. It is the rare person who escapes sorrow. But when one of us hurts, others are there to offer comfort. Communal tragedy is different. When something bad happens to us as a community—whether that is a school, a town, a people, or a country—we struggle to figure out how to tend to our own wounds while taking care of each other. Drawing on compassion, empathy, justice, and love, we can bring out the best in each other, and perhaps, find a theology of hope in the midst of despair.

Latest Rituals

“I am tired of praying to a silent God”
Silhouette of a person standing by a large window with a tiled wall background, looking outside.
“Don’t bring your flowers”
A hand holding a polished, striped stone against a blurred background.
“I will never normalize mass death”
A group of people in colorful sweaters join hands in a circle.
The Court of the Innocent has lost faith in us: a rebuke from the gates of heaven
A group of people standing in a close circle, embracing each other in a church setting.
“We lean into Your guidance / like wobbly-legged toddlers.”
A person in a white outfit gazes upward against a cloudy sky.
“We cannot live in constant sorrow”
Person with a tripod on a desert at night, gazing at the starry sky with scattered clouds.
“No altars for candles and teddy bears. / No petitions, angry protests, or briefings.”
Open notebook with handwritten notes and a silver fountain pen resting on its pages.
“A heavenly court grows… / They bear witness to / Our ongoing news cycle”
Silhouetted trees against a golden sunset sky with wispy clouds.
Poem in response to school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022
A row of lit candles with warm, glowing flames in a dimly lit setting.
“it cannot be a still small voice”
Birds-eye view of a sandy beach with gentle waves rolling in from a turquoise ocean under a cloudy sky.