Dcn. Thomas L. McDonald: ‘There Is No Pain Greater’: Grieving With the Parents of Lost Children
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Théo van Rysselberghe, “Little Denise,” 1889, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
By Deacon Thomas L. McDonald, National Catholic Register, July 9, 2025
Deacon Thomas L. McDonald serves as a deacon in the Diocese of Trenton, where his ministries include catechesis and consolation. He writes at An Owl Among the Ruins and Weird Catholic.
The only things in heaven made by human hands are the wounds of Christ.
There is no emotional pain on earth greater than that of a parent who has lost a child. As we read the news of so many deaths from the Texas floods, those of the children hit particularly hard. That so many of them were attending a Christian camp is particularly troubling to many: If this is how God rewards innocent children gathered to praise his name, what does Christian faith even mean?
There’s a great deal of theology about evil and suffering, but it is of little comfort in a moment like this. It is, in fact, almost impossible to comfort a grieving parent with anything other than our presence. …
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