As Advent is a season to prepare for the coming of Jesus, Lent is a time to face the reality of death in the world as we look forward to the resurrection power brought to us on Easter. As we sit with the brokenness, death, and suffering we see around us, we can learn from Jesus who took our mourning seriously.

When recording the Beatitudes, Matthew translated Jesus’s Aramaic word for “mourning” into the strongest Greek equivalent possible. The image is of one who endures the loss of that which is most dear.

Death stings each of us with loss and drags from us profound memories. Mourning is an almost paralyzing, life-numbing form of grief. But when we delve further into the second beatitude, we see that death is not the only cause of the mourning Jesus speaks about. The mourning He refers to can also emerge from the general suffering of the world—from the plight of those who are victims of injustice and despair and from our personal sense of loss that comes as a result of bad life decisions and mistakes. With one simple statement, Jesus broadens the picture of mourning from vivid scenes of a tomb to the consequences of life’s poorest choices or direst circumstances. It is a view of grief that touches us all, regardless of our social stature or lifestyle. Each one of us has, at one point or another, lost someone or something in a way that causes our lives to be less than whole.

But with such an expression of mourning comes an equally powerful view of God’s comfort. Jesus approaches the vulnerability of life honestly and gives us a glimpse of why loving and living, even with the prospect of such pain, offer real comfort. And this is not a cheap comfort. It is unconditional love, the source of life’s deepest emotions.

Jesus encourages us to love with real openness and honesty, but such love also brings great vulnerability. By loving and living in a way that we mourn deeply, we open ourselves up to incredible heartache, trouble, and hurt. But! We also draw closer to Jesus, and, with Him, there is potential for great joy because Jesus has overcome the world.

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