April 5, 2023
“Shared sorrow is half a sorrow, shared joy is a double joy.”
– Swedish proverb
Sharing our sadness is such a necessary part of the grieving process. It lightens the burden and gives us an opportunity to express our pain to others, who may be suffering just as we are. This is especially true when friends are grieving together for the same person.
Community is the foundation of our spiritual lives as Christians. We worship together, we break bread together, and we endure hardships together because it helps mitigate the pain and gives us an opportunity to lift one another up. Community is important because it keeps us from feeling disconnected and isolated.
While support groups are fundamental to the healing process, it is also important for us to share among friends — to share our memories and our pain over a person who has died, or been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. We care, we share.
Carolyn Killian, Director of Bereavement for Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Bridgeport, recalls the time she learned that her friend’s brother had brain cancer and she told her, “It’s so important to be sad together rather than being sad alone.”
Do you recall the story about the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, commiserating with each other shortly after Jesus was crucified? Their personal grief was unimaginable because they believed deep in their hearts that Jesus was the Messiah.
One of them, Cleopas, told the stranger who approached them (who was Jesus), “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” They shared their grief … and later they shared their joy when Jesus revealed himself to them in the breaking of the bread.
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Come together with others, whether family members or friends, to share your mutual sorrow.