Good Grief

Good. Grief. We would rarely put these two words together while actually thinking about it. Yet, grief is good, and an essential part to purifying our humanity. After all, Christ grieved every sort of loss: death (Lazarus), spiritual corruption (Jerusalem), and physical suffering (Gethesemane). It was an expression of His love and dependence on God as much as, if not more than, every expression of joy and gratitude. Why? Grieving allows ourselves to feel parts within us so deep and personal that they are typically hidden from our understanding, and often from our surrender to the Lord. But, when torn open through loss this part of us is unveiled. We must either vainly hide from it, fighting the vulnerability it unleashes, or turn to the mercy of God: We hide in His wounds. In this way, grieving is not complaining. The grief of a child tears at the heart of the mother with such force that she herself feels the child's pain. So it is that we, united with Christ even in our feelings of grief and abandonment, arouse the sentiment of our dear Mother. And the mystery of it all? All three, Savior, Mother, and child, console one another in their sorrow... hearts laid bare to the truth that we were not created for this life, but for the life to come.

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in You" - St. Augustine