Salute To A Sufferer An Attempt To Offer The Plain Man A Christian Philosophy Of Suffering.

So, dear sufferer, I salute you, knowing that no words of mine can ease your pain, hoping only that in a world in which none of us can see very far, a thought here and there may ease a bewildered mind or a troubled spirit, "to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

A Prayer

O GOD, WHO DWELLEST IN UNAPPROACHABLE MYSTERY AND whose ways are far beyond our understanding, help us to rest our minds in the certainty that we are dear to thee in spite of all our weaknesses and failures. Forgive us if, sometimes, suffering fills all our horizon and we find no comfort in any word of man or any thought of thee. Draw very near to us in the tenderness and compassion which overflowed from thee into the heart of Christ, and, for his sake, keep alive the flickering flame of our faith and hope and love. Show us the pathway of thy will for us in each day and in each circumstance. If it may be, lighten our burden, gladden our eyes, comfort our hearts, heal the sick body, and quiet the troubled mind. But whatever may lie ahead, give us the assurance that thy friendliness enwraps us, that a wondrous purpose that cannot be defeated is being worked out in our lives, and that nothing can ever snatch us from thy loving care. So at last, without regret and without dishonor, bring us to our journey's end in peace. AMEN.
Leslie D(ixon) Weatherhead ~ Salute To A Sufferer An Attempt To Offer The Plain Man A Christian Philosophy Of Suffering (1962)