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

ABSTRACT 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.