Broken Open: Blessed are Those Who Mourn

Rev. Richard Brendan • May 20, 2025

Messages from the Mountaintop

This Sunday, we continue with "Messages from the Mountaintop", with focus on the second of the Beatitudes, "Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted."


This Beatitude touches the heart and soul of what it is to be a person of faith. It hits close to home for me personally as I, like many of you, have experienced personal grief. In my many years of service as a hospice chaplain, I have companioned others when they needed to walk through the valley of the shadow of grief. 


We describe Grief as a profound sense of loss, but it's much more than that. It is love with nowhere to go, a seemingly endless river of emotions than can consume us as we navigate the pain and heartache of a loss. When we love someone deeply, and they are no longer with us, it's as if a piece of our heart has been ripped away, leaving a void that feels impossible to fill. 


With grief comes tears, which are therapeutic and healing. When we have an open heart and we experience loss of some kind, crying is a natural and essential part of being human. The great 19th century American short-story writer, essayist, and diplomat Washington Irving wrote, "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love."


This Sunday, I will share insights on grief and mourning, and also the many beautiful and healing ways that we can give and receive comfort. 

–Rev. Richard Brendan

"Winning"

Sung by Michael Read

Written by Russell Glyn Ballard

Winning lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group


"Go Rest High On That Mountain"

Sung by Kimberly Morgan

Written by Vincent Grant Gill

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.


"Ribbon In The Sky" 

Sung by Caroline Smith

Written by Stevie Wonder

Lyrics © Black Bull Music, Jobete Music Co Inc


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