Grief's Liturgy

Description: At once a lament-psalm and a love song, Grief's Liturgy records Gerald Postema's work and worship of grief upon the loss of his wife, a year's work aided by the companions--poetry and prayers, icons and images, music and silence--that sat patiently with him. Structured around the liturgy of the Divine Office, reflections in each ""hour"" take on a distinctive expressive and emotional tone and fall into a jagged, broken rhythm over the course of each ""day"" yielding ultimately an understanding of the life-affirming necessity of grief. Endorsements: ""Grief's Liturgy is extraordinary; there is nothing like it. It's a grieving celebration of love--as is every true lament. What makes it stand out from all other contemporary laments is that Postema gives to the grieving celebration of love for his wife a moving and imaginative liturgical form. The writing is beautifully poetic and spare, as all speech in the face of death should be. And it's concrete, often achingly so. Wonderful To be savored."" --Nicholas Wolterstorff, Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University ""For anyone bereaved, this book is one of profound, deeply human thoughts and emotions, exemplifying the struggles and labors of loss. Formatted around the daily Divine Office, Grief's Liturgy sets the themes of grief into the context of poignant Scripture, poetry, music, and art. Gerald Postema has created a plaintive, soulful masterpiece that conveys the honest anguish of mourning."" --Mark T. Higgins, President, Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC ""Postema's remarkable book invites us into his grief, his mourning, and his hope in God. Those who accept the invitation will be blessed. The poetry and art, the songs and Scripture, the honesty and fidelity will not eliminate grief, of course, but they will bless it and point toward the comfort of baptism and the promise of God's love."" --Allen Verhey, Professor of Christian Ethics, Duke Divinity School About the Contributor(s): Gerald J. Postema is Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He published widely in moral, political, and legal philosophy.