Pastoral Pearls: Life out of Death
And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. ~ Pope Francis from 365 Daily Meditations with Pope Francis, April 29)
Alleluia! Jesus changes Death into Life! My dear friend – the one who is dying at the moment - shows me that I can find comfort in knowing that Jesus is easing her journey toward death because of the great faith with which he has blessed her. She has in her mind a vivid picture of what heaven will be like, and it is something she can move toward with peace and joyful anticipation. Her life in heaven will be nothing like the struggles she has had in this life, but she will be dancing, laughing, singing, and making music in heaven, with Jesus and her mom and dad and grandparents. She can feel his loving arms wrapping around her in welcome.
She has mad amazing strides in healing relationships with her family, all through the grace of God. Her family relationships have always been fraught with fighting (war), and now there is great peace and love.
On top of that, she all of sudden is eating lunch in her care center dining room, participating in activities like flower arranging, and walking with a walker (which was previously not advised by her Hospice Team, due to her weakness)! She has so many people praying for her, that she just MIGHT BE the Miracle, who kicks Cancer to the curb even without treatment! Seems Jesus is moving her from a track from death to a track toward continued life with renewed meaning!
Another recent event connects with this wisdom from Pope Francis. I recently watched the movie, “I Can Only Imagine,” which is an incredible story of how hatred is changed through love. In this movie a young man and his formerly abusive father grow to understand one another better, with hearts touched by God to allow for beautiful and powerful healing through faith in God - a movement from vengeance toward forgiveness, and from fighting (war) toward Peace. If you haven’t seen it, I might recommend it as a wonderful Eastertime movie for you to see together with your loved ones.
This Easter season and onward, I will watch for the ways God brings life out of death in my life. And more importantly, from a place of gratitude for Jesus being so life-giving to me, I will strive to find ways to be life-giving for others – to bring life to those around me through my words and actions. I will also look farther afield to see even those who seem to be lost in some sort of death or dying, suffering, and figure out what God is calling me to do or be for them to bring new life.
Loving God, open my eyes to all the ways you bring new life to me and conquer ‘death.”
May this inspire and motivate me to do the same for others –
to bring new life in as many ways I can, especially in the midst of suffering.
Send your Hoy Spirit to guide me and to give me the strength needed for this –
to be Jesus’ hands and feet here on the ground.
~ Amen