Believing While Grieving

The Struggle: Being a person of faith does not take away the human need to grieve. There is abundant loss: of the person, of identity in the survivor, of income and lifestyle, changes in civic and social status, changes in relationships to mention a few. The world turns upside down in many ways and no amount of denial, spiritualization or pretense can change this reality. There is a real sense of brokenness! Can one be in this space so as to discover God’s presence? Can one find the blessing contained in this reality? I am discovering that it is possible to live in the blessing of grief. So as a person of faith, I resist being “guilted” into false happiness. In being true to the journey, I need to “feel what I feel when I feel it” and lean into the pain that will lead eventually to transformation and peace. I think it is very important that we not short circuit the process by allowing well-meaning others to force open our cocoons or speed up the blossoming of the rose. There is plenty of hard work—physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional to be done before one can “move on”, if that is even possible. We each have our own timetable for working through this reality and God is there. This is a journey into the Paschal Mystery wherein through our lives, suffering and death, we share in the life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ our Lord. In our suffering, we touch the wounds of Christ from which pour gracious and generous healing for the life of the world. The journey leads us out of the tunnel of despair into the light where Resurrection is lived and celebrated every day.