Noticing and naming our sorrow can be painful. As humans we tend not to want to acknowledge our faults. Sometimes, too, it is hard for us to sit in the suffering of others. Sorrow can also bring a sense of helplessness as we realize how hard it is to change anything by ourselves. The grace of sorrow also brings to light our dependency on God, our need for God’s mercy and help. We are not alone in naming our sorrow. I feel we are being challenged to notice our own bias, evaluate our behaviors that contribute to systemic racism and discern what our actions can be to bring about change. Right now, I feel the Holy Spirit is begging us to acknowledge the sorrow we feel as we hear our Black brothers and sisters cry from the pain of racism in our world.Īren’t we being invited to notice how an entire race does not feel fully loved? Aren’t we being challenged to ask ourselves – are we loving as Christ loves ? Isn’t the Holy Spirit inviting us to see the rippling effects of the sin of racism in our world? We acknowledge the grace the moment we feel it. God is with us in a real, palpable way. When we are moved to tears because of our own sin or due to the suffering of others, we are sitting in a moment seeped with the Holy Spirit’s presence. What do we do when we feel the grace of sorrow? ![]() Sorrow as defined in Ignatius’ rules of discernment is spiritual consolation. It is the Holy Spirit awakening us to something that is keeping us individually or collectively from fully loving others and God. ![]() Grace defined theologically is a gift from God that helps us come to new insights about ourselves, God, and each other. Sorrow is a gift from God that can aid us in understanding suffering in ourselves and in others. Ignatius, there is a kind of sadness that God allows us to feel as we pray about evil and sin in the world and ask for God’s mercy. It is a sadness that wells in us as we are awakened to sin in our lives and in the world. As it wells within us, it calls forth in us an urge to change. Their sorrow is real. The sorrow it wells in me is real as well. I feel God urging me, and all of us, to pay attention to the grace of sorrow rising within us. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, and many other Black victims killed unjustly, brought racism back to our collective conscious and vividly remind us that racism never went away.ĭuring the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. I heard their words and pain, and I hear them now still. I am aware, too, that as a white mother this is a suffering that I will never experience. This does not, however, give me permission to ignore the pain of an entire community of people who are crying out in pain. I don’t feel safe anymore.” Another friend shared how afraid she was for her children to be out playing in her neighborhood for fear of what people may assume of her kids. Last year as I listened to people in spiritual direction, on virtual retreats, and in conversations with friends, colleagues, and neighbors, I became acutely aware that many of us are holding a deep sorrow about the long suffering of our Black brothers and sisters. God broadened my awareness this past year as I watched Black friends and colleagues’ grief reach a depth that makes my heart ache as I write these words. One colleague shared with me, “George Floyd’s death was the straw the broke the camel’s back for me. Advancement & Communications Teams Menu Toggle. ![]()
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