Macrina Weiderkehr’s reflection

Blest Are the Sorrowing: They Shall Be Consoled


And what does it mean to mourn? I asked.
And a wise elder stepped forward and said:

To mourn is to be given a second heart.
It is to care so deeply that you show your ache in person.

To mourn is to be unashamed of tears.
It is to be healed
And broken
And built-up
All in the same moment.

Blessed are you who care for others
With a heart that feels
With a heart that hurts
With a heart that loves

And blessed are you who continue to care for others
With a heart that serves
And a heart that sees the need.

To mourn is to forget yourself for a moment
And get lost in someone else’s pain
And then,
To find yourself
In the very act of getting lost.

To mourn is to be an expert
in the miracle of being careful with
and honoring
your pain and grief.

To mourn is to sing with the dying
And to be healed
By the song
……and the death.