SUMMER BONUS: Weeping with Jesus with Dr. Ronda Chervin

Show Notes 

When we experience the loss of a loved one, it can be devastating. While we know now that grief is a process and not necessarily a set of checklists, it can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and push our emotions to the side. But what happens when we lose multiple people close together in a series of heartbreaking events? How can we even begin to understand why God would allow these things to happen to us? And how can we remember that through it all, God was and forever will be with us?

Our Guest

Ronda Chervin has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Notre Dame Apostolic Institute. She is a convert to the Catholic faith from a Jewish but atheistic background.

Dr. Ronda has been a professor at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and Holy Apostles in Connecticut. Dr. Ronda presents on EWTN and Catholic radio. She is a dedicated widow and grandmother.

More than seventy books of hers have been published by Catholic presses in the area of philosophy and spirituality. Her many books include Quotable Saints, Healing Meditations from the Gospel of St. John, Catholic Realism, Voyage to Insight,, Healing of Rejection, Escaping Anxiety, and Weeping with Jesus, which we will be talking about today.

Connect with Our Guest

• Ronda’s email: chervinronda@gmail.com

• Ronda’s author page on En Route Books and Media’s Website (note: you can find all of Ronda’s books on her author page)

Devotions

• Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

• Novenas to Mary

• Litany of Loreto

• Our Lady of Fatima

Links

• Weeping with Jesus: The Journey from Grief to Sorrow

• The icon of the Salus Populi Romani after restoration (2018)

• MGP Episode featuring Deacon Ed Shoener

• Taming the Lion Within: 5 Steps from Anger to Peace

• Help Me Ronda! Episode about Weeping with Jesus

• WCAT Radio and TV Presents

  • Episode 4: Deacon Jack Sullivan on his Ongoing Communion with St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, Part 1 

  • Deacon Jack Sullivan on his Ongoing Communion with St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, Part 2

• Myself, Alma Mahler by Martin Chervin (1 Woman Play Script Theater Without Walls)

• Help Me Ronda! (Ronda’s series on WCAT TV)

• Requiem for a Lost Childhood by Charles Chervin 

Prayer for Ronda’s father and mother and the souls of those who have gone before us including Gayle Edney and Todd Horne.

Journaling Questions

1. What loss or heartbreak am I carrying right now, and have I truly allowed myself to grieve it?

2. What questions have I been asking God about my suffering or loss? What would it look like to bring those questions honestly to Jesus, even if I don't receive an answer right away?

3. Rhonda spoke about having an “equal weight of horror and hope.” What does hope look like for me in the midst of my sorrow right now?

4. What would it mean for me to “weep with Jesus”? How might I experience my grief differently if I truly believed that Jesus is present with me in my suffering?

5. Is there anger, resentment, guilt, or unforgiveness that I am carrying because of my loss? What might I need to surrender to God?

6. Rhonda shared that vulnerability was something her son recognized as a strength in her faith. Where might God be inviting me to be more vulnerable—with Him, with others, or even with myself?

7. What is my “morning glory”? Even in the midst of grief, what is one person, memory, blessing, moment, or glimpse of God's presence that gives me hope today?

We hope you enjoy this episode of the Mourning Glory Podcast and share it with others who are on a journey through grief. You can find links to all of our episodes on our website at www.mourningglorypodcast.com.

God Bless!