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This community has had to face a lot of suffering. Families dealing with the loss of children and teens. Families dealing with the outcome of suicide or drug overdose. Violence and murder seems to be everywhere. Parents dealing with children filled with anxiety and mental exhaustion. These things seem insurmountable to people who are struggling to find a reason to hope and to believe in the mercy of God. Some of us are asking why a loving God permits such suffering, sin, sickness, and death. For a lot of us, it's the greatest stumbling block to developing real trust in the fatherhood of God. There are even people out there thinking that God the Father demands vengeance to the point of killing His own Son. But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus on the cross is the greatest reminder of the tender mercy of a God whose love is so selfless that it's worth trusting.
In the face of so much sorrow, we have asked a specific group of speakers to bring us back to the foot of the Cross and remind us that both hope and redemption are reborn there. They are people who have the ability to speak from their own experience and ministry to help us understand that there is a LOVE that even suffering can't kill.
We'll spend four nights (March 14 - 17) really digging deeply into the questions that we ask when our hearts are hurting. Each night will be followed with beautiful prayer by music and candlelight, and ministries and organizations who provide healing and support will be on hand to provide resources and contact information.March 14, 2023, at 7 pm: Night 1:
How and why are grief part of the human condition, and how is Christ’s crucifixion necessary for the redemption of suffering? Jeannie Callaway is my pastoral assistant here at Saint Luke, working with families who have faced tragedy and loss.
March 15, 2023, at 7 pm: Night 2:
How has Christ’s redemption of suffering empowered us to make something holy out of our lives and given meaning and purpose to the suffering we all must face? Jason Angelette works for Willwoods Community supporting marriages and has awesome podcasts about Catholic life.
March 16, 2023, at 7 pm: Night 3:
How can we discover the gentle fatherhood of God in the midst of great suffering? Why is Love so often connected with suffering? Fr. Peter Pham was a transitional deacon here at Saint Luke and is now the parochial vicar at St. Matthew the Apostle.
March 17, 2023, at 7 pm: Night 4: [following the Stations of the Cross]
How can we find practical hope in difficult and painful moments, especially with the loss of a loved one? Deacon Warren Berault serves at Our Lady of Lourdes and heads the Grieving With Hope Team. Deacon Chris Schneider serves at Saint Margaret Mary and heads the HALOS Team (Healing After Loss to Overdose or Suicide) on the Northshore.
We invite you to come. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, you'll benefit from becoming a man or woman who can tackle the suffering in life and come out with hope on the other side.