Rituals and silent prayer are practiced by many of the world's religious traditions. These each have the power to ground and connect a diverse group of individuals in the present moment. There arises a shared awareness that we the living have an opportunity and responsibility with this day, simply from our ability to draw breath.
American author John Cheever was a lifelong Episcopalian who often relied on the comfort of churches. They offered him space to sit with his conflicted thoughts. Expressing them through writing could always wait for later.