Grieving with Hope: Finding Peace in Scripture and Shared Loss

We stumble upon Bible verses sometimes.
Sometimes we choose to ignore them.
Sometimes we lean in and try to learn more.
Sometimes we underline them, highlight them.
Sometimes we write them out, word for word.
Sometimes we make them stand out at sporting events.
Sometimes we search for meaning inside them.
And sometimes, the meaning crashes right into us.

This week, I thought about my high school scripture classes.
We studied the Old Testament.
We were tested and quizzed on the New Testament.
We flipped through our Bibles.
We analyzed verses.
We laughed about how wild and confusing some of those Old Testament stories were.
We learned about servant leadership — about being like Jesus.

Now, over 30 years later, those same verses look different.

In the past nine months, my high school class has lost two beloved classmates — the first of our group to die.
Mortality doesn’t always whisper. Sometimes, it roars into the room and shatters the silence.

Being Catholic offers some comfort.
We have hope they’ve entered eternal joy, that they’re at peace with Christ now.

They may have found their eternal rest,

but we are still wandering—missing pieces, seeking peace.

Romans 8:28.
This was the last verse one of my classmates posted before she passed away from leukemia:
“We know that in everything God works for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

A friend said to me just yesterday, “Grief never gets easier. It just changes.”
Some days, it sits with you a little more.

Grief is like a homesickness that never quite fades.
There are things you need to say.
Things you need to feel.
People you need beside you.
But still, the ache remains.

Yet for those walking with God, there’s comfort — not in the absence of pain, but in the presence of purpose.
Romans 8:28 doesn’t tell us God causes the suffering.
It tells us He can redeem it.
That He can bring about good even in the darkest moments.
It reminds us to keep looking for growth — in faith, in hope, in love.

Thirty years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that a classmate —even one who shared the same love for our Catholic faith— would leave me meditating on a verse for so long.

The day after she passed, her best friend posted a photo from her Magnificat — the Mass readings for that day:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
“We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope...”

I found such comfort in that — not just in the words, but in the shared experience.
That the same scriptures I’m praying with… others are too.
That the same passages I turn to for peace… My old friends are reading as well.
We’re all searching, praying, grieving — together.

As my days go on, I’ll carry Romans 8:28 with me.
It reminds me to keep looking for the good — even in grief.
Especially in grief.

Look for the good, even when it’s hard to find.

Hold on to the light, even when it’s dim.

And remember: we grieve, yes—

but we grieve with hope.

Hope that our loved ones now rest in the arms of God,

wrapped in a peace beyond all understanding.

And in time, 

we too will find our way to peace.

—-Mary