"Brothers and sisters, the irony is not that God should feel so fiercely; it's that his creatures feels so feebly. If there is nothing in your life to cry about, if there is nothing in your life to complain about, if there is nothing in your life to yell about, you must be out of touch. We mus all feel and know the pain of humanity. The free space that God leads us into is to feel the full spectrum form great exaltation and joy, to the pain of mourning and dying and suffering. It's called the Paschal Mystery. The totally free person is one who can feel all of it and not be afraid of any of it." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 209)
I'd be the last person to say that I'm looking for more pain and suffering in my life. While I have not had the level of suffering and misfortune that others have had, I've experienced enough that I can empathize and even walk with those who are hurting.
I remember when my grandfather was in his last couple of months. He was in a lot of pain, he was confined to a nursing home facility, and yet he could not face his own mortality. We had enough conversations about this until there came a point where I believe he let go of the fear and within weeks died peacefully.
While I do not wish people would die, I'm not overcome when being with folks who are dying or mourning. I'm not a cold unfeeling fish. Hey even Jesus wept. But I see it as a privilege to walk with folks at that point.
When suffering and loss hit even closer to home for me, I hope that the same calmness will be with me, I also hope and trust that others will walk with me then.
Thankfully the good times are just as numerous if not more so than the sad. It is my faith that helps me to not be afraid of everything going right or wrong, but fully understanding that on our earthly pilgrimage, there will always be highs and lows and together they make for a fairly exciting journey.
Blessings,
Ed
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