Pope reflects on the death of family members
June 17, 2015
Continuing with his series of Wednesday reflections on the family, Pope Francis devoted his June 17 general audience to the loss of family members.
“In our ongoing catechesis on the family, I wish to reflect on one of the more dramatic and painful events that every person, without exception, has to deal with, namely, the death of a family member,” he said, in the words of the official English-language synthesis of his remarks.
“Jesus has compassion on those who mourn, as today’s Scripture reading reminds us, because the death of a loved one is never without pain for families; this is especially true of parents who lose a child,” the Pope continued. “Jesus’ presence with the widow at Na’in assures us that he is with us in our darkest moments and that he is with us in our loss and mourning.”
Describing faith in Christ as “the only adequate response to our deepest needs in the face of the death of a loved one,” he added:
Through faith in him, in his Resurrection and his abiding presence, we can face our loss, “the sting of death,” as Saint Paul calls it, make sense of it, and have confidence that death does not have the last word.
May we, with Christlike tenderness and compassion, know how to be close and offer consolation to families suffering the loss of a loved one. Above all, may we always be witnesses to the love which Christ revealed through his cross and resurrection, a love stronger than death.
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