Mourning, the hidden inner form of lament, is the first response of the Christian to the world. The second is joy. Keeping these inseparably together, so that each provides nuance and filigree to the other, makes adoring the Lord possible. Augustine wrote: non solum non peccemus adorando/sed peccemus non adorando, which is to say that adoration of the Lord is not only sufficient for the avoidance of sin, but also necessary. The interweaving of mourning and joy to give adoration its proper texture provides, then, the very fabric of the Christian life.
paul j. griffiths
warren chair of catholic theology at duke divinity school
