“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt 5:4).
Mourning here can certainly mean the grief one experiences at the death of a loved one. It can also mean mourning for the evil and unfaithfulness in the world. Another word for blessed is happy. How are we to feel blessed, or happy in reference to the death of those close to our hearts? Blessed or happy for the injustice, violence, warfare that plagues our word? From a theological sense, one interpretation can be that Jesus spoke from the perspective of the eschatological event, his second coming at the end of time and that we can rely on the hope that Jesus died for us all and we will rise with him on the last day. We will be not only freed from the atrocities of this life, but also freed from death.
This is our hope and this is true, but also Jesus may also have been speaking about our day to day experiences as well. Jesus said, as is recorded in Mark 1:15, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus, is the kingdom at hand, just an outstretched arm away. Those of us who mourn and suffering will be blessed, will find comfort when we resist running away, or denying the agony and pain that threatens to overwhelm us and instead allow ourselves to experience the grief and the suffering of our loss and our fallen world. It is in the very embracing of our pain and suffering that we encounter Jesus waiting for us there with his arms wide open.
When we turn to Jesus, and with him face the sorrow, grieve and mourn for those who have died, as well as for the injustice, violence, and sin of our world, he will help us to release the unbearable weight we have been carrying. Jesus, who suffered the agony, loss, pain, and hurt in his passion and death on the cross, understands what we are feeling. His presence and closeness will be the strength we need to guide us through the many ups and downs, fits and starts, of our emotional roller coaster and also be able to offer help.
Today, we celebrate the gift of the Communion of Saints on this All Saints Day. The saints understood and lived the message and truth of the Gospel that Jesus has risen. They dedicated their lives to the call that Jesus extended to them and have gone before us to the true land of promise, our heavenly home, and from there they cheer us on, encourage, and intercede for us. They remind us that we will be blessed when we resist being attached to the things of this world and instead follow the will of God.
Jesus suffered and persevered the agonizing pain of the cross, then experienced, and conquered death. He lights the way and leads us back to the Father. We need not fear the fallen world nor death because through our life in Jesus, neither has any power over us. St Paul of the Cross, taught: “The world lives unmindful of the sufferings of Jesus which are the miracle of miracles of the love of God. We must arouse the world from its slumber.” When we turn to God with everything, we will experience God’s comfort, peace, and healing to rise from our slumber, and reflect the light of Christ to help others to rise from their slumbers.
Photo: Tapestry of saints hanging in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 