There is a haunting line in the musical Les Misérables: “There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain goes on and on.”

It's true. When you are in the grip of grief, everyone and everything reminds you of your loss. When will it end? Nobody knows. Grief has its own timetable. But it’s also true that grief is your friend, there to help you heal. It's a mistake to pretend it isn’t there. 

Saint Honoratus learned to let grief heal him, but it wasn’t easy. And he couldn’t do it alone. He needed God’s help.

Honoratus was born into an aristocratic Roman family, but was far more excited by the Christian faith than by anything wealth had to offer. Against his family’s wishes, he set out for the Holy Land with his brother Venantius. Then came one of the worst days of Honoratus’s life. Venantius died.

It is unclear how Venantius died, but it is clear how deeply it affected Honoratus. He turned around on his journey and went back to Rome. From there, he sailed to a wild island now called Saint-Honorat to live in solitude.

In that solitude, with only God and his own grief to keep him company, Honoratus grew in unspeakable wisdom. And he healed. That doesn’t mean the grief never came back, or that it became easy to live with. But Honoratus left his island when it was time, returned to the mainland as a bishop, and inspired a new generation of saints.

Have no shame in your grief. Allow it to wash over you. Invite it to heal you. Be gentle with yourself. Be patient with yourself. And let God in. Through your grief, he is healing you and preparing you for a future full of goodness that you cannot yet understand.

Patron Saint Against: Drought, Misfortune, and Rain

Symbols: A Phoenix

Feast Day: May 5

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Nunzio Sulprizio