Luke tells us of Jesus’ grief as he neared Jerusalem. “If you . . . had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Lk 19:42 ) Over the next few blogs, I want to explore the grief that pastors experience in their ministry. Even as Jesus experienced grief over the pain of a sinful world, and absorbed that pain into his own being, so I would suggest that pastors also drink in the pain of the people, especially those within his or her congregation. In a sense, even as Jesus took on the sins of the world, so pastors take on the pain of the sins of the world. This is not to suggest that pastors are as virtuous as Jesus, but that in the nature of their calling, they stand along side and feel the pain of people they care for.
Everyone experiences grief during their life time, but it is often not recognized the extent and frequency that a pastor experiences grief in their ministry. We all recognize the emotional price a person pays when they experience grief. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, disillusionment at work, breakup of a friendship, or one of the many other painful experiences that cause grief, we realize that even after the immediate trauma, we continue to feel emotionally flat and physically tired.
What many do not recognize is that the better a pastor responds to his or her calling, the more frequently the pastor experiences grief, not only of his or her own loss, but also the pain of the loss of the neighbor. This happens, not just once or twice in their life, but as often as weekly. That cumulative grief is what we will examine in the next few blogs. Then we will look at possible antidotes that a pastor might draw upon to ease the pain of secondary traumatic stress.
I would invite you to look at Volume 1 of “Clergy Tales–Tails: Who Wags the Dog” on Amazon, amzn.to/11j6L2D
