Mourning With Those Who Mourn

 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Blessed are those who mourn—

even when they disagree with the mourner,

for grief is the language

that makes us kin.

And what does mourning look like?

It is to stand in shocked horror together,

to let our hearts imagine,

to shoulder even the smallest iota

of suffering borne by others

in the heat of a present crisis.

It is to hold hands—

physically, symbolically—

to whisper to the wounded:

you are not alone.

It is to reaffirm

that what happens to one

happens to all.

That no wound is sealed off,

but ripples through the whole body of humanity.

It is to cry to heaven for relief,

trusting the victims are already cradled

in the care of God’s hands.

It is to let our tears fall freely

until they drown out

the ugly, hateful chorus of

“who deserves evil,”

replacing it with

the quiet hymn of compassion.

It is to let our shared humanity

be cause enough

to stand together,

to hold each other up

through the first difficult hours

of unspeakable loss.

It is to remember

that prayers must rise also

for the families of perpetrators,

whose sorrow runs in shadowed silence.

It is to know

we are not called to fix,

to reason out,

to weigh and take sides.

The time for answers and solutions will come—

but for now,

the holy work is simply

to mourn.

And through it all,

it is to trust the Savior—

whose arms are strong enough

to carry us through the unthinkable,

whose love is deep enough

to redeem even the unspeakable.

Blessed are those who mourn with those who mourn….for they shall be comforted.

Natalie Potter 9/27/25