Glory in Suffering? A reflection on finding meaning in grief through an interrogation into the phenomenology of suffering

An exploration into how our current understanding of grief and
grieving in practical theology can be transformed when viewed
through the lens of suffering. This article will utilise a comparative
discussion of contemporary literature in the fields of thanatology,
psychology and practical theology, contextualising key themes
which emerge from the research with autoethnographic reflective
observations of my own experience of grief following the
traumatic and unexpected loss of a friend to a road traffic
accident. It is hoped that the themes explored through these
reflective passages will inform a re-reading of grief from a
phenomenological perspective, which pays attention to the lived
experience of suffering and highlights the embodied nature of
grief. In considering grief as a form of suffering, this discussion
aims to provide a space in which we may develop a more holistic
approach to our treatment of grief in current discourse.