Safat cemetery, © bibleplaces.com, used by permission.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

How can mourning be a blessing? We spend so much of our lives trying to avoid grief, loss, regret, and sorrow. This Beatitude feels like a contradiction. But Jesus declares that those who mourn are blessed, because they will be comforted. Jesus himself understood grief; he wept. God’s love is not distant from human sorrow but instead shares it.

Jesus is not glorifying sadness for its own sake. He is speaking of a deep, honest sorrow, the kind that comes from seeing things as they truly are. There are at least three ways we mourn:

  1. We mourn our own sin.

When we see clearly how we fall short with our pride, impatience and selfishness, grief awakens repentance. This is not shame that pushes us away from God, but sorrow that draws us toward His mercy.

  1. We mourn the brokenness of the world.

Violence, injustice, illness, and suffering are not the things God intended for His creation. To mourn is to refuse indifference. It is to let our hearts remain tender.

  1. We mourn personal loss.

Grief over death, disappointment, and shattered hopes is real. Jesus does not dismiss it. He blesses those who carry it honestly before God.

In Jesus, God enters our grief and promises comfort. The promise is not that mourning disappears, but rather that comfort comes. God meets us in the midst of our sorrow, not after we have escaped it. What we bring into God’s presence can be healed. Mourning becomes prayer when we trust God with our pain. Even when words fail, God understands.

The comfort Jesus speaks of is more than temporary relief. It is the nearness of God Himself. Mourning softens the heart and makes space for God’s consolation. A heart that never mourns rarely receives deep comfort, because it never admits its need. Comfort comes through forgiveness when we repent, through compassion when we grieve, and through hope in Jesus.

Lent invites us to lament in honest sorrow – not despair, but repentance. This kind of mourning is holy. It prepares us for full joy. It calls us to sit with the reality of sin and suffering and pain and sorrow rather than distracting ourselves from it. Jesus points us toward hope: God promises a future where sorrow will not have the final word. We cannot rush to the resurrection without first enduring the crucifixion.

Lord Jesus, Merciful God of compassion, Spirit of God,

You bless those who mourn, yet we often resist sorrow. Have mercy on us.

Be near to all who grieve. Receive our sorrow. Carry our pain. Pray within us when we cannot. Give us courage to grieve what is broken —in our hearts, in our relationships, in our lives, in this world. Restore our broken hearts. Help us to mourn our sin without losing hope. Help us to grieve our losses without losing faith.

Meet us in our sadness. Comfort us with Your presence. Hold us in Your love. Strengthen us as we wait. Renew us with Your promise. Help us trust in Your compassion, and turn our tears into seeds of deeper trust in You.

Amen.

Today, set aside 15–20 minutes for intentional mourning before God.

  1. Sit quietly and ask:
    • What in my life needs repentance?
    • What loss am I carrying?
    • What suffering in the world and around me have I ignored?
  2. Write a short, honest prayer of lament — no polishing, no censoring.
  3. End by reading your prayer aloud and sitting in silence for five minutes, simply receiving God’s comfort.

If possible, refrain from unnecessary entertainment today. Let your heart stay attentive rather than distracted.

Mourning may feel heavy, but Jesus promises it is not empty. Those who mourn are not abandoned. They are met, and they are comforted.