There is a resurrection

We have many moments of death in life:  loneliness, losses of loved ones, of ways of seeing things - perspective, of ways of doing things as our bodies grow into illnesses, of jobs, of relationships, of our dreams, etc.  Some of these deaths feel like terrible blows.  They knock our socks off for a while.  We grieve, are angry, or we may feel defeated.  With faith, time and good friends, we pick ourselves up and move on in life.

We have other moments that stun us, keep us bound up inside - in webs of addiction, our own or other's.  These deaths may be related to alcohol, drugs, gambling, relationships, our work, etc.  We may be victims of another's aggression or domestic violence.  We may be trapped in our grandiose pride or a need to control:  "It's my life and I'll fix it!"  We may be caught in depression.  We are caught in a tornado; a wind that envelopes us.

Jesus' message to us is "Live!  God loves you!"  How do we find God's love in times of death?  Is there really a Resurrection and Life?

When we're caught in a tunnel of darkness that feels deadly we can pray hard for grace and light, perhaps to understand our darkness and move into light.  Besides praying, we often need help - another's compassionate heart.  Our God loves us tenderly and is with us in times of sorrow and death as well as moments of lively living.

In our modern world of high-speed communications, we hear news daily of wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines and plagues. In this morning's news one does not have to look far to read or hear about a magnitude seven earthquake in Japan this month and in Pakistan the month before, the threat of a flu pandemic, and the wars in Iraq and elsewhere. Two thousand years ago these stories would have been passed by word of mouth and were months if not years old before they were widely spread. Today, we get it live and in color instantaneously, twenty four hours a day. Are these the signs Jesus spoke of?

Who cares?  Jesus tells us to not be deceived and to not be terrified.  We are to steer the course our Lord set us on, with Him clearly in focus, with Him and His kingdom our aim. Remember Lot and his wife? Lot's wife turned to look at the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt, hardened and useless. But Lot, keeping his eyes fixed where the Lord told him, escaped and lived

When we focus our attention on the Lord, and ignore the signs of the times, we will live in the company of the Lord just as Lot did.

O Father of love and truth,

You raised our Lord Jesus Christ resplendent in glory as King; open our hearts, bring all of mankind together in Christ to renew fallen creation.  Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Please pray for those who are terrified of the “signs of the times”.  Pray that the comforting mercy of Jesus envelop them and relieve their fears.