A Prayer to Help in Times of Harmful Sadness

Bonnie Drury sees harmful sadness all around us and ponders how to alleviate it. 

On Facebook, I joined one of the prayer pages for people seeking Saint Jude's intercession. People post there, asking for prayers from the beloved saint and from members of the group. It breaks my heart when someone writes, “I’m so sad. I don’t know what to do, and I can’t pull myself out of it.” Most of us have had this feeling at one time or another, an overwhelming sadness. Often, we don’t even know why. 

I don’t mean the debilitating grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one, but the everyday cloud of gloom that colors everything we do. 

God doesn’t want us to be sad, but Satan certainly does. Anytime depression takes over, we can’t focus on our Heavenly Father. Sometimes, we can’t even see our own family or friends through this fog. They try to reach out to us, but we’re so weak from despair. The Lord “heal[s] the brokenhearted, and bind[s] up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). 

Surrender 

I know I mention the Surrender Novena often, but that’s because it helps. The novena does not yet have formal approval, but it is theologically sound and can enhance our spiritual lives. The devotion has a widespread popularity among Catholics today. Jesus wants the best for us, and He wants to provide it. But we have to be willing recipients of His will and trust Him. Humans don’t do well trusting anyone but themselves, but our God will guide us through the shadows.

“O Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.” 

Try to pinpoint the cause of the sadness. Is it the daily news that cranks out massive doses of negativity? Turn it off. Is it a loved one you’re worried about? Surrender that person to Jesus and trust. Is it a feud with a neighbor? What can you do to bring it to an end? Is it your health? Can your doctor help? A priest? A friend? 

Are you sad because you’re underappreciated at work? What can you do to change that perception, or do you need a new job? Does your spouse ignore you when you need him? It’s probably time for a good talk, initiating some changes in communication. 

Are We Complicating Things? 

When I worked at a Kaiser Call Center many years ago, there was a co-worker who was always sad. She was from India, and her marriage had been arranged by her parents. We had lunch together one day, and she told me that she was thinking about going back to India because she didn’t think her husband loved her. 

I said, “Why don’t you ask him?” 

“What do you mean?” she said with a puzzled expression. 

“Go home and tell him you’re thinking of leaving, and you need to know if he loves you.” 

She came to work the next day, blushing. “He loves me,” she said. “He was surprised I didn’t know. From now on, he said he’d make sure I have no doubts.” 

Not all problems are that simple, but sometimes we do make them more complicated than they are. It’s the devil who enjoys our suffering, so we should do whatever we can to deal with it. Despair prevents us from growing spiritually. If we can figure out the root source of our harmful sadness, we can face it head-on and come up with solutions, with God’s help. 

Action dispels depression, even if it’s simply a walk around the block to clear our heads. 

Prayer is always a comfort and a reaching out to the Creator. His love knows no bounds, and He has solutions for our troubles. On Day 3 of the Surrender Novena, Jesus says, “I will intervene with all My omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.” 

On Day 4 of the Novena, He says, “By my love, I promise this to you.” On Day 7, “Do this for all your needs; do this, all of you and you will see great continual silent miracles.” 

Don’t despair; surrender to His love, and start feeling the happiness He wants you to have. You are loved, completely, irrevocably. 

The closing prayer in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy says it best:

Eternal God, in whom Mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion—inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen. [emphasis mine]

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Copyright 2025 Bonnie Drury
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