Wonderful and Stay Together for the Kids give clear voice to the devastating consequences for children of divorce, in different ways. Wonderful spoke the truth about our inner experience, especially in those moments where words seem to not be enough. Stay Together for the Kids spoke truthfully about the devastation of parental divorce being akin to a weapon of mass destruction in our homeland.

When I first heard Nik Kershaw’s “Wouldn’t it be Good?,” in 1984, the song gave a voice to my silent struggles: that year my parents separated—for good. ... Many of the lyrics are statements of “Fight, Flight, or Freeze”—basic survival responses that our primitive brains developed to deal with life-threatening situations.

This Fall, I have been reflecting on two works that embody this mystery: Mahler’s Titan Symphony No. 1 and Duruflé’s Requiem. On the surface, one is a grand orchestral symphony and the other a prayer for the dead. Yet both works enter into the depths of grief and mercy, showing us how music can transform wounds into beauty.

Our long and winding road walking with Christ is not easy.  He never promised that it would be.  He promised He would be with us, always. (Cf. Matthew 28:20) Saint John Paul II expresses this idea beautifully when he wrote:  “The way Jesus shows you is not easy.  Rather it is like a path winding up a mountain.  Do not lose heart!  The steeper the road, the faster it rises toward ever wider horizons!”