Dear Friends in Christ,
Among the Beatitudes that Jesus mentions in the Gospels is, “Blessed are those who mourn.” We might think that this is merely a meager attempt to help people to get over their problems. It can seem like an attempt at a quick fix or an end run around the real seriousness of suffering. “Oh, you have this terrible disease? Well, ‘Blessed are you!’ Someone you love died? Well, ‘Blessed are you!’”
This is not really what this particular beatitude is about. Christian mourning is about mourning the presence of evil, mourning over sin (particularly my own sins), and mourning over the rebellion that is still present in the world against God. This type of mourning is not mere sadness or despair. Although it is felt deeply, it is still filled with hope. Although we might not be able to change a particular situation, we can still mourn with Christian hope. Let me provide some examples.
Someone struggles with a particular sin in their life. Perhaps it is unforgiveness, anger, some form of lust, untruthfulness, or some other sin. They know in their heart that this sin is not what the Lord wants for their life. And so, by God’s grace, they mourn. This mourning is indeed “blessed,” because it can lead to true repentance and conversion. Weeping over our sins is not meant simply to say, “I’m just a terrible person. Guess that’s who I am.” It is meant to say, “I know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and wants something better for me. I mourn my rebellion against him and seek to turn back to him.” That is why it is blessed to mourn.
Another example might be when we see someone we love go down the wrong path. Many Catholic parents find themselves in this position today. Someone we love stops going to Mass, stops believing in God, stops living by the commandments, and/or adopts a worldview contrary to the Gospel. Oftentimes, in the face of such situations, we feel a bit helpless and confused as to how to respond. Do we confront? Do we ignore? Do we withdraw? Do we concede? Do we “live and let live?” It is often quite difficult to know exactly how to respond in each situation. One thing, however, we can do is “mourn.” We can mourn in our heart for that person and for the situation. In some way, this mourning unites us in a closer way to God. It conforms us more to Him because we enter into his own love for this person. Our tears are not the tears of hopelessness. Christian tears remind us that what is impossible for us is not impossible for God. We mourn like the women at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday. They were helpless to stop what was happening, but they were able to mourn. On Easter Sunday, they were comforted. Christ had won the victory.
Lastly, as the events of this past week in Israel reminded us, the power of evil is still active in the world. How is it possible that human beings can murder innocent children? Even here, as horrific as these events are, Christians mourn differently. We do not mourn as those who have no hope. We mourn with true tears, but we also mourn with a confidence in God’s goodness and mercy. We mourn because these acts are so contrary to God’s plan for the world. And yet, we mourn with tears that are filled with the hope that God’s justice and mercy will ultimately prevail.
Christian mourning does not close in on itself. It doesn’t despair. So, if you find yourself mourning this week for your sins, or if you mourn because someone you love is confused or lost, or if you mourn this week because of the evil that is present in the world, “Blessed are you.”
Your Brother in Christ,
Fr. David Barnes