Episode 9: Mourning With Those Who Mourn

Shiloh, Riley, and Christopher Hurtado all open up space for a conversation about the healing power of mourning. A part of the baptismal covenant is to “mourn with those who mourn” (Mosiah 18:9), but do we really comprehend the incredibly healing power that mourning has on our fellow man? What does “mourning” here even mean? In the Beatitudes, after we empty ourselves and are poor in spirit, we experience a mourning from letting go of those false identities and ego. This personal step allows us the ability of being able to mourn with others. Mourning with the other, at least in part, is an experience of being with and seeing the other person without judgment, without guile, and without ridicule. It is not a moment to correct or adjust the other, but it is an experience where we are able to see the other person as God sees them in their true self. We have all had the common experience of not being or feeling seen, heard, or understood, but mourning with another offers that moment of grace in seeing, hearing, and understanding one another. We are always seeking for our own comfort, and really seeing, hearing, and understanding another person is often uncomfortable. Mourning with the other bridges the gap or chasm of separateness, and by allowing ourselves the possibility to connect with another we find new ways of connecting with ourselves. In a world wrought in social, religious, and political pain and anguish, the only way that we can truly begin to heal with those we perceive as our “enemy” is to learn how to mourn with them. All of the reasons and justifications against mourning with the other or our “enemy” are the very reasons and justifications that perpetuate and keep the chasm between us all present. Jesus Christ said that “if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27), and being able to see, grieve, and mourn with those who mourn are the first steps of unity.