Resurrection Saves from Sadness & Despair

/ Tom Delaney, O.F.S., M.A. Theo., Cert. Catech.

(art: Resurrection, woodcut print, 15th century C.E.)

In his General Audience today, Pope Leo XIV explored the topic of personal sadness and explained how the resurrection of Jesus Christ can give us a hope that replaces despair. The pope’s address is part of the the cycle of catechesis that will continue throughout the entire Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church, “Jesus Christ our hope”, focusing on the theme The Resurrection of Christ, the response to human sadness.

Sadness is one of the negative emotions that we can experience after a hurtful event, and arguably underlies or is a part of all of the negative emotions we may feel. Feelings of despair can also happen for a person as a result of moral distress and moral injury experienced during and after a hurtful event. An effective forgiveness process (like the REACH Forgiveness Process) aims at replacing negative emotions like sadness with positive emotions of love and joy. That always sounds like a real stretch at first, but Pope Leo’s words help us understand how personal engagement with the resurrection of Jesus Christ can be a powerful force in the process.

Pope Leo‘s words help us understand what sadness is as a human experience, and also how the resurrection of Jesus Christ can change our self-awareness in ways that give us a sense of hope for ourselves. Here is my list of memorable highlights and paraphrased quotes from the pope’s address today, plus my own additional ideas that may help you apply your learning in your own life:

  • Sadness is a feeling of precariousness, at times profound desperation, which invades one’s inner space and seems to prevail over any impetus to joy.
  • Sadness is most often happens when something that you have invested your personal life energy in comes to an end, or when something essential to your life has been destroyed. In sadness, your hope is dashed; desolation can take hold of your heart. Everything looks imploded.
  • Sadness can happen in a very short space of time when it results from a dramatic event or sequence of events.
  • “Sadness accompanies the days of many people.” It is a common human experience. It is part of being human. You are not alone when you feel sadness, and though it often means there is something hard, wrong, or unjust about your situation, it does not mean that you are a bad person or any lesser or less worthy of a human being.
  • “Sadness robs life of meaning and vigour, turning it into a directionless and meaningless journey.”
  • Sadness can cloud the way you see everything, and be an obstacle to seeing good things in your life. It sounds simple, but it is hard to remember that when you are sad and can make you forget that there is goodness.
  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ tells us that the living death of sadness can be defeated, and affirms the victory of life. Despite the darkness of sadness in your current situation, there is always much goodness to and real reasons to have hope for yourself and your situation.
  • Even, if not especially, in times when you are sad, Jesus Christ is your constant friend, the companion at your side. “On the paths of the heart, the Risen One walks with us and for us.”
  • The narrative of the two disciples “looking sad” on the road to Emmaus in the Gospel of Luke (24: 13-29), shows the transformational power that realizing (“making real”) the resurrection of Jesus Christ can have in your life when you are sad.
  • The story of the disciples of Emmaus is a gentle reminder to us that when the going gets tough, the resurrection of Jesus Christ can radically change our perspective, instilling hope, and even unexpected joy, that fills the void of sadness.
  • When you recognize that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about changing the way you see things in your situation, you also recognize that it is all about to returning to the light in your life, knowing that the things that are actually true about you and your very real connection to God saves you from the untrue things you see and think when you are in darkness and despair.
  • When you realize (“make real”) the resurrection in your life, in the way you see yourself and your situation, it reopens the eyes of your heart, taking away the cloud of despair from the way you are able to see things, and bringing back light to your vision. Everything becomes clear for you. Your joy is rekindled, and energy flows back into you, along with gratitude.
  • The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes the meaning of your situation and your life, from negative to positive, and infuses you with life. That can be super useful and important in times when you feel like your life has gone out of you or left you, or is meaningless or pointless.
  • The key is to understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a story. It is a real and tangible fact.
  • The more you explore the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the more you will be filled with wonder, drawn in by overwhelming and fascinating light. That can be super useful and important in times when you feel like you are in a place of darkness and despair.

An attentive reader may note that the art following the title of this article depicts the resurrection of people, not Jesus Christ. Could that be intentional on my part? Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ somehow connected to our own resurrection and restoration to life that is full and resplendent? Could our our own resurrection be our ultimate and supreme cause for hope and joy? If you think so … you might be onto something!

Please share these words with someone who needs them today.

This text is an original work of its author Tom Delaney and was entirely composed without the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

If your parish or faith community is seeking a deeper experience of forgiveness, healing, mercy, and spiritual renewal, Live and Forgive is here to help. To begin the conversation, email Live and Forgive presenter and facilitator Tom Delaney at tom@liveandforgive.com — he will be glad to connect with you for a conversation. Please type in your email and click “Subscribe” below to stay connected and get Live and Forgive articles delivered to you.

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