The Thomistic Institute Why So Sad? The Sorrows that Kill and the Sorrows that Save – Sr. Anna Wray, O.P.
Mar 31, 2026
Sr. Anna Wray, Dominican philosopher and CUA professor, explores sorrow in Thomistic terms. She contrasts destructive acedia with sorrow that leads to deeper friendship with God. Short sections examine causes, signs, and remedies like Sabbath, contemplation, and gratitude. The talk closes with practical supports and Mary as a model for salvific sorrow.
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Sorrow Needs Pain And Attention
- Causes of sorrow are pain plus awareness, where pain requires desire for a good and its definitive absence.
- Sr. Anna highlights that awareness requires allowing oneself to feel rather than distracting or fleeing.
Acedia Is Sorrow Over Friendship With God
- Acedia is sorrow about our friendship with God, not just any specific loss.
- Sr. Anna explains friendship love vs concupiscence and how sorrow directed at the foundational relationship can be uniquely corrosive.
Distorted Images Turn God Into A Source Of Sorrow
- Distorted mental images of God, built from mixed experiences, can make thinking of friendship with God elicit aversion.
- Sr. Anna uses personal-image examples (buffalo wings, food poisoning) to show how associative images trigger emotional responses.