As summer draws to a close and we begin to focus on the changes to come over the next several months, we reflect on what has been. We celebrate new memories and share photos of happy times with those we love, but for many of us a recent loss feels like a dark cloud casting a shadow on those joyous moments. We smile and do our best to join in on the laughter, but we cannot shake the underlying sadness. Our faith informs us of what is to be if we believe and yet that dark cloud seems to cast a shadow on that as well. 

I read the names on our daily burial bulletin and am reminded of the suffering that is firmly planted in between the smiles and laughter of our joyous moments. We don’t understand how a good God allows these heartbreaks to befall those of us who believe and yet we know that life is a series of peaks and valleys. It is in these moments when doubt grabs ahold and refuses to let go. 

Doubt in a good and gracious God is a natural part of grieving and He accepts our doubt because He knows that as we continue our journey, our faith always brings us back to Him. Our doubt makes us angry, and He accepts our anger because it challenges us to seek Him and in a moment of perceived hopelessness, He finds us and brings us into His arms and holds us close. In that moment of despair, God brings healing and removes all doubt in the promise made by His beloved Son on that day when the Cross became a symbol of hope. All doubt is removed when we realize that God took a symbol of terror and turned it into a symbol of hope, faith, and love. 

September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, and it is her absolute love of her Son, our God and each of us that we can remove the cloud of doubt and focus on the eternal life promised to all who believe.  

God Bless,

Andrej Lah