good grief... and bad

St John Cassian talks to us today in A Year with the Church Fathers. He tells us about our emotions, which we've heard about for the last several days. But he says something interesting about grief.

He says that there are various forms of grief, and that we should allow the good form of grief, which we experience when we regret our sins and turn from them. But we should avoid "worldly grief" because according to 2 Corinthians 7:10, that leads to death.

This did strike me as odd, but upon reflection there are forms of grief that destroy our souls. When we allow grief to take hope from us, and lead us into despair, we have allowed ourselves "worldly grief". When we allow grief to lead us into hate, and revenge, against those who caused our grief... we have let "worldly grief" lead us to death.

It's been a rough week. The senseless shooting in Vegas, the struggling death of Tom Petty, the pain and suffering in Puerto Rico... it would be easy to allow these things to produce a heavy grief in our hearts that doesn't do us any good or help us to make a difference. We have to shake off that form of grief, and find the hope that helps us transform our lives and the lives of those around us. We do need the grief that turns us from our sins. But let's encourage one another to share hope and love with those around us, who might be sinking into the grief that hurts their souls.

God, thanks for teaching us about grief.