Greetings in Christ Jesus, God the Father and the Love of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
By definition, this greeting is unending. To contemplate God is like holding a rope in an effort to “plumb the depths” of this great mystery. The rope could never be long enough, and we could never carry the weight of it if it were. God is good not to burden us with weights we cannot bear. So what can we surmise of the perceived “unbearable weight” of loss and pain that we suffer? Pain is both felt physically and perceived. Pain can be internalized or utilized for its potential to clarify, define, break down, change, heal, intensify, solidify or orient us to ourselves, one another and God.
Pain is neither the end nor the goal. Rather, it is a necessary part of the journey for humanity. Pain suffered by one is suffered by all who are united in truth, love and hope. Pain has no gender, nationality, sex or creed and thus it can draw us to compassion and empathy rather than divide. Christ suffered the pain associated with denial, hatred and death, but His love conquered sin and death. In Him we are invited to live truly united in the mystery of His Incarnation.
Dolores King is a member of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, a lay Dominican, and member of the Apostles of Divine Mercy.