First Parish Unitarian UniversalistDIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2004
A service led by the Reverend Diane Teichert
First Parish Unitarian Universalist - Canton, MA
October 31, 2004
OPENING WORDS
By Barbara J. Pescan
May the glory of the passing away of autumn
Lie about us
Fresh gold
For a time.
And when the dark comes, and the cold
May we remember how today we stand in glory,
How we walk in bounty
Heaped upon earth’s dark carpet,
How we move knee deep in abundance
Flung against night’s winter curtain.
We are thankful for its coming and for its passing.
Let it be.
MEDIATION FOR DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
I invite you now into a time of meditation and prayer. Sit with your body relaxed, legs uncrossed, feet on the floor or a stool. Close your eyes and feel the breath, breath of life, enter and then leave your body. Listen to your breath…
At this time of year, we are conscious of the passing of time, the passing of autumn. Last night we turned back the clocks and gained time. Autumn passes before our eyes as leaves falling from the trees. We are conscious of the passing of time, the passing of autumn, and the passing away of those we love.
These days, the autumn air is hazy, mist hangs over the fields in the morning and shrouds the streetlights at night.
Autumn's hazy air reminds us of the thin veil between life and death. How the presence of deceased loved ones can sometimes be felt in an empty room or in a song on the radio or in an encounter with someone who bears a strong resemblance. And then the presence fades.
In the passing of time and the passing of autumn, something in the air reminds us of the ultimate passing. How death can come momentarily without notice…or come ever so slowly over many months or even years. How it can come early in life or late in life… but of course, whenever it comes, whether early or late, it will be the end of our mortal life.
Thoughts of our own mortality and that of those we love flicker in and out of our consciousness; loved ones now gone are missed. Our sorrows and losses – past, current and future – resonate deeply within us.
And, so it is fitting to pause in this dying time of year to honor our ancestors. Today is Samhain (sah-win), the pagan precedent for Halloween and also for All Saints Day tomorrow and All Soul’s Day Tuesday, in the Anglican and Catholic Christian traditions.
But, here at First Parish, today, we honor Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican and Mexican-American observance on All Soul’s Day.
Let us dwell in shared silence together, to remember the dead, to call upon our memories of loved ones, people as well as pets, family and friends, mentors, heroes and heroines. In remembering those who dwell with us no more in mortal form, let our memories call to mind those of their qualities that live on in those who loved them.
After the silence, I will announce the Offering. After the offertory, there will be an opportunity to place a memento on the altar or light a candle in honor of a loved one and to speak their name aloud.
Silence followed by Offertory
INVITATION TO THE OFRENDA
I invite you now into our own honoring of this Mexican tradition, according to which the spirits of the departed return to earth to visit their families and friends on the Day of the Dead. To welcome back their loved ones, people construct a colorful altar, or ofrenda, in memory of those who have died, placing on it objects of importance to those being commemorated or photographs, as well as signs of the season or cultural significance. These may be in the home or at the cemetery, where families may gather for a day of revelry.
As you see with the skeleton and humorous jack o’lantern, this need not be a sad occasion, for the presence of the departed brings joy to those gathered.
In the next moments, those who wish may come forward with a memento in honor of a loved one or to light a candle if you don’t have an object to place on the altar. After, if you wish, you may speak the person or pet’s name into the microphone. To signify this loved one’s ongoing presence in your life, the congregation will respond to each name spoken with the word “presente!.” Like a roll call, by calling out “presente!,” the congregation witnesses to the fact that each name spoken evokes, at the least, a complex set of memories for the one who speaks it. And perhaps, for some, the response of presente! also evokes a sense that the spirit--the essence, nature, character, or qualities--of the person or pet is present with us in the naming and the remembering.
FIRST READING
From The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade by Thomas Lynch
pp. 146-7.
SECOND READING
“In Between” from Walking Toward Morning by Victoria Safford
pp. 31-32