May 15, 2025
The following is an excerpt from Pope Francis’ book, “A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living with Hope and Joy.”
Knowing How to Cry With Others
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” we read in Matthew 5:4. The world around us, however, says the exact opposite: entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape from reality claim to make life good. Materialistic people ignore things, they avert their gaze when there are health problems or painful issues in the family or in the world around them. The world would prefer not to weep: it would rather ignore painful situations, cover them up, hide them. People spend so much energy on fleeing from situations of great suffering in the belief that reality can be dissimulated, situations where the cross would never, ever hide away.
A person who sees things as they truly are and suffers alongside those in pain and sorrow can experience the profundities of life and find true happiness. He or she is consoled not by the world but by Jesus. These people are not afraid of sharing the suffering of others, they do not flee from painful situations. And, in so doing, they discover that life has meaning when we assist those who suffer, when we understand their anguish, when we bring relief. These people recognize that because the other is of the same flesh, they are not afraid to approach and even touch the other’s wounds; they feel so much compassion that all that separates them vanishes. In so doing, they embrace St. Paul’s exhortation: “Mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Knowing how to weep with others, this is what it means to be holy.
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The next time you are with a friend or family member who is weeping, ask God to give you the words that will bring comfort, or the wisdom to know when there are no words … and what is needed is your silent, loving presence.
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