The Healing Journey

July 22, 2023

“When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions, who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.”
– Gospel of Mark

“They were mourning and weeping.” Even the friends of Jesus couldn’t believe that he would rise from the dead, and they felt the pain that all of us do when someone we love dies. And theirs was particularly painful because his death had been unjust and gruesome.

“They were mourning and weeping.” But imagine their overwhelming joy when he appeared to them, and they realized that death did not end all. There are those in our secular society who don’t believe in life after death. To them, it is a fanciful fairy tale with no scientific proof to back it up. There are others who feel that even if it’s true, the separation from our loved ones is still too much to bear. They don’t want to hear, “They’re in a better place” because that seems like a small consolation when they’re no longer among the living, laughing and loving and sharing.

Those who don’t believe in eternal life console themselves with the notion that our deceased family members and friends will live on in our memories and hearts. But wouldn’t you prefer they live on in eternity and watch over us after they leave this earthly plain? Wouldn’t you prefer that someday “every tear will be wiped away,” and you will see them again and live with them forever.

That’s a deal you can’t refuse … and one that, while it might not mitigate the pain of mourning, nevertheless gives us hope that better things will eventually come. Not just “better” things, but truly spectacular things.

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Even in your grief, never underestimate the importance of eternal life and the truth that we will see those we have lost again and be with them forever.