Holy Week

As a parish family, we have suffered several losses over the past few weeks. A couple of them were sudden and unexpected. The others came after a period of steady decline. Either way, losing a family member or friend is difficult. You lose a part of yourself and need to adjust to a new reality of life without the physical presence of the one you loved.

Recently, I came across these words that Mirabai Starr wrote in the wake of some losses in her life:  

“There is no map for the landscape of loss, no established itinerary, no cosmic checklist, where each item ticked off gets you closer to success. You cannot succeed in mourning your loved ones. You cannot fail. Nor is grief a malady, like the flu. You will not get over it. You will only come to integrate your loss. . . . The death of a beloved is an amputation. You find a new center of gravity, but the limb does not grow back. Death cannot be dealt with through quick answers, religious platitudes, or a stiff upper lip. Grief is not a process that can be rushed but must be allowed to happen over time and in its own time.”

One of the ways we “come to integrate (our) loss” is through our faith. Holy Week, when we remember Christ’s death and celebrate His victory over death through the resurrection invites us deeply into the mystery of life and death. The words we find in our Prayer Book and pray over and over sustain us in our grief and reassure us of God’s promise of everlasting life:

“I am resurrection and I am life,” says the Lord. “Those who believer in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”  (John 11: 25-26)

“In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before.” (p. 493)

“Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who rose victorious from the dead, and comforts us with the blessed hope of everlasting life. For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens.” (p. 382)

Profound words that speak to the power of Christ’s resurrection and the glory of the life to come.

Happy Easter!

Bill+