Pope Francis' November 2024 prayer intention: For those who have lost a child
The prayer intention for November is for all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter.
In his first general audience of 2017, Pope Francis said, "When
people are hurting, it is necessary to share in their desperation. In order to dry the tears from the face of those who suffer, we must join our weeping with theirs."
"Only looking to the love of God who gave his Son, who offers his life for us, can point us to a path of consolation. And that is why we say that the Son of God entered into the suffering of men; he shared and accepted death; his Word is definitively a word of consolation, because it is born of tears", he said. God's response to our tears is the offer of hope - hope in the promise of eternal life."
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.
Isaiah 66:13
Earlier this year, Pope Francis met with a 'Talita Kum' group of bereaved parents from Verona and he encouraged them to find comfort in prayer. He said, "The loss of a child is an experience that defies theoretical descriptions and rejects the triviality of religious or sentimental words, of sterile encouragements or phrases of circumstance, which, while intending to console, end up hurting, even more, those who, like you, face a tough internal battle every day."
The Pope emphasized that words alone cannot adequately express such a deep loss and called for a more profound and compassionate response to those who face the daily struggles of grieving a child. He reminded those present that "death does not have the final word" and that "God's response is not a theoretical discourse but a compassionate presence, walking alongside those who grieve and lifting the burdens that oppress them."
He will wipe every tears from their eyes.
Death will be no more, for the first things have passed away.
Revelation 21:4
St. Zelie Martin, mother of St. Therese of Lisieux, experienced numerous losses. Of her and Louis Martin's nine children, four passed away at an early age. Despite her deep sorrow, she wrote about her losses and showed no regret for having her children.
"We shall find our little ones again up above," she wrote.
Saints Zelie and Louis Martin
May all those who have lost a child find comfort in the words of Pope Francis,
"In this faith, we can console one another, knowing that the Lord has conquered death once and for all. Our loved ones are not lost in the darkness of nothing: hope assures us that they are in the good and strong hands of God. Love is stronger than death. Thus, the way is to let love grow, make it stronger, and love will guard us until the day that every tear shall be wiped away, when “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more” (Rev 21:4). If we allow ourselves to be sustained by this faith, the experience of grief can generate even stronger family bonds, a new openness to the pain of other families, a new brotherhood with families that are born and reborn in hope. To be born and reborn in hope, this gives us faith. But I would like to stress the last phrase of the Gospel which he heard today (cf. Lk 7:11-15). After Jesus brought the young man, the only son of a widow, back to life, the Gospel says: “Jesus gave him back to his mother”. And this is our hope! All our loved ones who are gone, the Lord will give them back to us and we will be together with them."
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
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