Mary Oliver - The Uses of Sorrow - Reflection

As we were talking with the RCIA candidates last night at my parish, those adults who are preparing to be members in the church, about the paschal mystery of Christ, about Christ's death on the cross and the seemingly paradoxical goodness of God that we believe in , I thought about the moments of suffering we all have in our lives. In our struggles and in our suffering, we probably gain the greatest moments of growth and insight as well.  I have quoted the above poem by Mary Oliver several times in homilies over the years, and have posted it on Facebook and on my blog.  The poem actually came from a book of poetry that my friend Mary    gave me the first year of my priesthood.  A friend of mine recently posted this poem on Facebook, saying that she always thinks of me when she sees this poem.  This friend has lost her mom and two brothers in the last five years and has had her share of struggles in life just like most people do.   This poem by Mary Oliver is very short, but it has so much truth in it.  In this month of remembrance, we think of our dearly departed loved ones and the gifts they gave the world through their lives.  We lift up their souls to the Lord.  And we lift up our suffering and our sorrows to the Lord, uniting them to the sufferings and sorrows that Christ endured on his journey to the cross.