Struck by grief, we can be caught in the paralyzing feeling of helplessness, loneliness, and moments of utter despair and sorrow. Most of us have likely experienced this grief. The immobilizing, heart wrenching pain caused by loss.
Thankfully, we are not alone in this. Our Father in Heaven is a good, good Father and hears our cries of pain and sees our tears, even if they are silent and hidden. His Son suffered grief while on Earth and while on the Cross. We can turn to the Lord in these moments of anguish. He is with us.
Scripture can be a simple, good, and beautiful way to pray when grief has rendered us speechless.
The Book of Psalms provides us the right words to exclaim in times of gratitude, joy, and in times of grief. These verses below are but a few of the Psalmist’s utterances to Heaven that we can repeat ourselves in times of grief.
-You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your Word. (Psalm 110:114)
-Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Many saints experienced deep and profound grief that ultimately led them closer to the Lord.
St. John Paul II lost all family dear to him. He said this regarding suffering, "For it is above all a call. It is a vocation … as the individual takes up his cross, spiritually uniting himself to the Cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of suffering is revealed before him. He does not discover this meaning at his own human level, but at the level of the suffering of Christ." Salvifici Doloris, (February, 1984)
St. Zelie bore the loss of many children and experienced deep grief in their passing. She took comfort in knowing, “We shall see our little ones again in heaven.”
St. Cyprian encourages us in our grief to think of the reunification with our loved ones when we see each other in Heaven. “Heaven is our home, and the patriarchs, our ancestors, are there before us...To see, to embrace them – what joy both for them and us!”
Another prayer that we can turn to in times of grief is the prayer from the Surrender Novena. "O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!”
Another quick turn to heaven is by simply praying “Jesus, I trust in You.”
We can also turn to the Blessed Mother, who knew the feeling of grief with great familiarity in the suffering of her Seven Sorrows.
We can turn our eyes and our hearts while grieving and unite them with Mary’s.
A beautiful prayer we love at the Little Rose Shop is the Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows. Curl up in our beautiful minky blanket and join your grief with Hers with this prayer:
Our mother of sorrows, with strength from above you stood by the cross, sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and with tender care you bore Him in your arms, mourning and weeping.
We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life God planned for you. We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you. We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of His passion.
Holy Mary, may we follow your example, and stand by all your children who need comfort and love.
Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Amen!
Comforted by Our Mother, the Saints, the Word of God in scripture, we know we are not alone in our suffering and our loss.