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