With faith, we can celebrate life — even in death

Spring is here and Easter is just one week away. 

As a church cantor, Lent is always a busy time for me — singing for retreats and missions. This week we are preparing for the Triduum- “the three days”- from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday where we spend our days praying and celebrating the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

On Good Friday, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island, where I sing, welcomes thousands of pilgrims who mark Jesus’ walk to Calvary with prayers at life-size Stations of the Cross. It’s a profound experience with cross-generational and multi-ethnic people expressing deep faith.

Last Easter, my daughter was recovering from another brain surgery and our “yard” looked like the surface of the moon — with huge craters and uprooted trees. A friend’s bulldozer sat as a lawn ornament in the back awaiting the time for him to come and finish uprooting dozens of locust trees that grew like weeds on our wooded property.

This Easter, I am breathing a sigh of relief. By the grace of God and a lot of help from friends, we managed to paint the outside of our newly renovated house and take back overgrown gardens which had been unattended for 10 years — all before winter set in.

The changing seasons speak to me of the things of God. 

For every natural sign of new life, there is a death that precedes it. 

Death and resurrection truly is the cycle of life. 

I’ve had to face a lot of death in my life. I’ve lost many close family members and friends. But also as a caregiver for my daughter, there are losses of expectations, dreams, and even abilities she once had which have been impaired by ongoing brain injury and disease. There have been financial and related losses- all causing grief that is not unlike the death of those we love. 

We all face death in our lives — not just those we love who have died- but the death of dreams, relationships and life unfolding in ways we did not expect. When we face these losses, we have a choice to believe and rise, or stay where we are in the place of loss.

Christians and non-Christians alike are familiar with the Paschal mystery- the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The life of Christ — his birth, death, and resurrection- is the foundation of the Christian faith. But there are other stories of resurrection in the Bible that are oftentimes are overlooked, yet so beneficial for reflecting on the truths of faith and their personal applications in our lives.

This past week, I was praying over John 11:1-44 , the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Lazarus was a friend of Jesus and brother to Martha and Mary- who were also Jesus’ friends.

 Jesus was asked to come quickly to visit Lazarus because he was very seriously ill. Jesus assures his disciples that “this sickness will not end in death but will be for the glory of God” (vs 4 ). 

When Jesus is on his way — think miles and days, not a few hours away — Lazarus dies. Jesus knows this intuitively and so he announces to his disciples;

“He has fallen asleep, but I will awaken him.” (vs 11). 

But the disciples don’t understand. 

“So then He told them plainly- Lazarus is dead…”( vs. 14). 

When they finally arrive at the tomb of Lazarus both Martha and Mary remind Jesus that their brother would not have died had Jesus made it in time to heal him.  He reminds them-

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vs. 25-26).

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (vs 27)

But still, they grieve. Jesus was deeply moved by their grief. 

 “And Jesus wept,” (vs 35).

Finally, Jesus cries out to his friend in the tomb-

“Lazarus- Come out!” 

And turning to the others Jesus said;

“Unbind him and let him go” (vs. 44)

There is so much truth packed into this entire scripture that is applicable to our daily lives. But it is too much to cover in one reflection. Read it for yourself and ask the Lord to show you the parts that touch your heart. While reflecting on this scripture this past week, I found five important things to apply in daily life which also develop a deeper understanding of the Paschal mystery. 

• The Lord wants me to face the deaths in my life and not ignore the reality of my situations. 

Just as he explained to the disciples — Lazarus is dead — he promises to do something with those deaths in our lives — if we let him.

• He wants me to take him at his word and trust that he is who he says he is: the resurrection and the life.”
• I am not alone in my grief. Jesus weeps with me.
• He can raise that which is dead, to new life- including me.
• He calls me out of the tombs of fear and doubt. He unbinds me with His love and mercy and asks me to forgive others so as to “unbind them and let them go.”

And let God be God.

On my wall hangs a beautiful picture my son took of me and my mom sharing an intimate moment of laughter. Ironically, we were discussing her death, when he captured the photo. 

Mom was telling me how excited she was to go to heaven and made a joke about how sorry she was for me that I had to still go through the ups and downs of life. We burst into laughter, not because of some morose humor, but because she made a joke about not having to worry about stupid things anymore and because she had this palpable hope of eternal life. 

Mom was facing death. But she believed Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

And she knew she was heading home to heaven to be with the Lord and her beloved husband and the daughters she so longed to see.

So, she laughed and taught me to laugh at the days to come — even at death — as the sign that we believe.

This Holy Week week is a good time to reflect on death in our lives —to face what is. With signs of new life all around us — nature beckons us to consider this cycle of death and resurrection.

To celebrate life, we must also face grief and death- but with hope.

If we believe Jesus when he says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will never die, but have life,” we don’t get to skip over the death part of life. We will undoubtedly be faced with crosses and tombs that contain all that has died in our lives.

But if we believe, we will witness the resurrection of Christ and our own lives. 

And maybe even laugh like my Mom.