Why Do You Weep?: Finding Consolation and Peace in Time of Grief

"Why are you weeping?" was the question the angels put to Mary Magdalen at the tomb of Jesus. Mary Magdalen's grief was real and it was deep. But as she expresses her grief, the Risen Christ himself comes to her and says, "Mary!" Jesus comes to us, too, who mourn the death of those we have loved. The reflections contained in this booklet are designed to bring us into contact with the compassion of Jesus as we struggle with questions of faith and feelings of loss in the face of death. It also includes several prayers for use by those who are mourning the death of a loved one.

This book offers prayers for specific situations of grief (loss of a baby, death of a child, death of a parent, death of a spouse, prayer after a suicide, and prayers after a violent death, etc.). There is a segment for dealing with the needs of a bereaved child. There are both classical references as well as modern day life applications to help mourners confront their own situation of grief.

Based on the authors' experiences of ministry to the bereaved, conducting funerals, leading bereavement retreats, and from their own experiences of sadness, grief, and personal loss, this book is a helpful reflection tool for those who find themselves in grief and mourning. It combines personal reflections with prayers and quotes from saints and other well known figures in an attempt to offer consolation to those who are grieving.

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Father Larry Kaufmann is the current provincial for the Redemptorist Province of South Africa. As provincial, he is the primary contact person for Redemptorist Pastoral Publications in South Africa.

Sean Wales, CSsR, is the parish priest of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Bergvliet, South Africa, a suburb of Cape Town. He has pastoral experience in Northern Ireland, England, and South Africa, and he has lectured in philosophy at the Franciscan Study Center in Canterbury, England, and at St. Joseph's Theological Institute in South Africa.