When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” (Gospel for March 29, Jn 11:33-36)
One of the shortest verses in the Bible — “And Jesus wept.” — is among the most powerful. The Son of God who became man mourns the loss of his friend. And he weeps, just as you or I would. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” Jesus said. Here he models his own teaching. In our busy day-to-day lives, we may be in danger of skipping this beatitude. And though many of the psalms are laments, we can be good at skimming them. Instead, may we follow Jesus by praying these psalms and mourning the losses we and others have suffered.
This month, I challenge you to request a Mass for the repose of the soul of a recently deceased person. Second, I challenge you to support those who mourn by participating in the Faith in Action Christian Refugee Relief program or individually through prayer or other aid for those who have suffered persecution for their faith.
How can we properly mourn the losses we and others have suffered in life? How does having Masses said for the deceased aid not only them, but also those still alive? With so much suffering in the world, how can we best show compassion for others?