Gaudete and Grieving

Yesterday afternoon I hit the point where I had to stop. I had to close down Twitter, Facebook, and all the news source sites from my web browser. I had to stop the conversations.

I had to remind myself that while my heart is grieving, my soul rejoices. Perhaps there is comfort to be found in the seeming coincidence that this Sunday was Gaudete Sunday. Maybe I, like so many of us, need the reminder that our soul can be joyful even in times of grief and sadness.  Maybe we need the reminder that sorrow may last for a night, but in the morning comes the light.

Yes, we may be mourning the loss of those souls in Connecticut  We may be grieving the loss of a job or a home. We might be sorrowful over a relationship ending or an unwelcome life change.

Yet, we are not a people of sadness. We are a people who live in expectant, confident hope. We are a people of joy. Even when we are remembering the darkest hours of Good Friday, we know, with all our being that there is an Easter morning.

So yes, mourn. Grieve. God does not deny us that human need. After all, even Jesus wept for Lazarus. Yet, we cannot despair. We are an Easter people reminded in this particular week of Advent that we are a people of joy.  We mourn our loss. We can find comfort in the joy those lost souls now have.