THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

John 14:1-12

Dear Friends, in one of the first retreats I had as a young Carmelite, the preacher told us he slept in a coffin. He wanted to grow in awareness that he was going to die. At the time, I thought it was really weird. Now that I am several decades closer to my death, I think the nightly coffin routine is way beyond weird.

In the Easter Season, there is a magnificent message about our personal death. It is not all that bad. In fact, it is a wonderous gift! The Preface for the Mass of the Resurrection for burials lays out a very comforting description in this way:

In him who rose from dead our hope of the resurrection dawned.

The sadness of death gives way to the bright promise of immortality.

Lord, for your faithful people life is changed not ended.

When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death

We gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.

Today’s Gospel is often used in funeral masses. In the context of this powerful ritual, most people get it. We are going to a better life. The problem is most of us only get it when we can no longer evade the reality of death. The death of a loved one simply engulfs us in the great and painful mystery that is death. There is only a token nod to the overwhelming gift of the resurrection. This is usually expressed in the phrases” the end of suffering” and “he/she is now is in a better place”.

Our culture is very evasive in facing death for what it is: a very big and defining part of life. The message of the Easter season surely does not call us into the bizarre and morbid activity of sleeping in a coffin. It does, however, invite us to face death as a crucial part of our life.

Life is a gift for today. I need to embrace it in joy and wonder all the more enthusiastically because I have no guarantee of tomorrow. God calls us to live this day in love and service. Accepting death as a truly big part of our life is not an invitation to live in worry and anxiety. It is a call to be realistic.

The good and the bad, the harmonious and conflictual, sickness and health, and all the elements of our human condition are all held in the loving hands of the gracious God revealed in Jesus. Jesus is the way and the life and the truth (Jn 14:6) Jesus tells us. “Do not let our hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” (Jn 14:1-2)

Today we are all one day closer to God’s loving call that changes our death into life everlasting. This is the message of the Easter Alleluia! We are fools to not accept this reality and let it define how we live. The Resurrection is real. It means death has lost its sting. Our job is to celebrate with a life filled with hope and joy.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will be drawn into the most real and honest response to the ever-present dilemma of death. Jesus tells us he is the way, the surest way to God. Jesus is the fullest and richest expression of God. All of his teachings and patterns of life, all of his miracles and service, and most of all, the great revelation of love in the Passion, Death and Resurrection – they all invite us to walk in love with Jesus. The astonishing song of the Alleluia we proclaim this Easter Season directs our heart to Jesus. For indeed, there is no surer way that leads to the truth and fullness of life that is God.