The Lord offers a challenging teaching about discipleship in today’s passage: “You will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices.” Christian discipleship will involve weeping and mourning.
In the past few years especially, I have met with a number of parents who weep and mourn over children who have strayed from the practice of the faith. In many cases, their children even attended 12 years of Catholic school—the parents saw to their children’s reception of the sacraments, they attended mass together as a family, the parents sought to model the Christian faith for their children, they filled their home with prayer and charity. And now as adults, the children have fallen away.
They’ve stopped praying, they’ve stopped attending mass, they refuse to go to confession, they are in relationships marked by fornication. In some cases, the children view their former Christian faith as oppressive and hateful.
And so parents weep and mourn for their children’s loss of faith—they worry about their souls, as they should. For parents have a duty to do what they can for their children’s salvation.
Modern parents are not alone. St. Monica wept and prayed for decades for her son, Augustine to turn away from his licentious lifestyle and his involvement in cults. Bartolo Longo was an 19th century Catholic who in his youth got into drugs, alcohol, and even Satanic cults. No doubt his family wept and mourned and prayed for him.
And so we must remember that every tear shed, every prayer that is offered up out of authentic concern for another’s soul, has redemptive value, because they are a share in the redemptive sufferings of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that suffering, when united with Christ’s sacrifice, can contribute to personal holiness and the salvation of others. So, we must not stop praying because the fruit of prayer is not immediately visible.
The Lord promises weeping and mourning, but the second parts of his promise must not be forgotten: “You will grieve, but your grief will become joy” is a powerful promise that every sacrifice offered in love, every cross patiently borne becomes a seed of everlasting joy, for ourselves and others.
So, we continue to entrust to God our loved ones and all the souls of the earth who have turned away from the Lord. And we commit to doing what we can, even enduring crosses and tears, knowing that tears shed and suffering endured faithfully are powerful in bringing about conversions and sanctification for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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Trusting in the promises of God’s assistance, we offer our prayers with confidence in God’s mercy and providence:
For the Church, that all of her members may faithfully carry the cross of Christ and continue to proclaim the Gospel even in the face of sorrow and opposition
For parents and grandparents who mourn over children who have strayed from the faith, that their prayers and tears may bear fruit in the return of their loved ones to the practice of the faith.
For young people tempted by the false promises of the world, that they may encounter the truth of Jesus Christ and the love of God that alone can satisfy the heart
For our parish community, that we may encourage and support one another in faith, and remain faithful to prayer, even when the fruits are not immediately visible.
For all who bear heavy crosses—of illness, discouragement, or spiritual sorrow, that they may unite their sufferings to Christ and discover the redemptive power of the cross.
For the faithful departed, that through the mercy of God and the prayers of the Church, they may come to share in the joy of the resurrection, especially N.
Heavenly Father, you see every tear and hear every cry. Through the cross of your Son and the gift of your Spirit, transform our sorrows into joy and make our lives fruitful in your service. Through Christ our Lord.
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