Getting Back Out There
After three days of oppressive heat and high humidity, this morning it is cool and mild, the sun shining and the sky clear.
What a good day to go out and enjoy a nice refreshing walk.
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ - Mark 16:2-3
The Gospel reading today begins with the death of Jesus on the cross, followed by the request by Joseph of Arimathea for his body, and then after waiting through the Sabbath, the arrival at the tomb by the women who will anoint the body.
It must have been hard for the women to go back to the tomb. All along the way, they must have been picturing the wounded body of their beloved friend. Perhaps they braced themselves at they approached, wanting both to have a way to roll away the stone and yet have no way to do so.
How often do we approach a situation that way, with mixed feelings, torn between the two, looking for the lesser of two evils?
It is the hard things that we need to find the courage to do, and do them as quickly as possible.
They could not wait another day. This needed to be done now. It was already late.
After a crushing defeat, we need to muster the courage to get back out there and face what brought us down in the first place. It is the only way to overcome the fear, to move on, to be whole again.
I believe it is the drop in our faith, the dip in our enthusiasm and joy that sets us up for defeat. When we get the bad news or the unwelcome, unexpected prognosis, that we lose hope, if only for an instant.
Could it be that the loss of hope makes us more susceptible to disease? Could our faith keep us alive?
It is what we pray for. We pray that God will give us the strength to overcome this obstacle and get back to life, but it is so easy to give up.
That is what friends and family are for. God made us to be the support for each other. The two women went to the tomb together, one supporting the other, helping each other keep going.
It is what we need to do for each other. We need to keep the hope alive, keep the candle of faith burning, keep the way clear of obstacles.
So, when we feel there is nothing we can do to help someone we love who is in pain, we can pray for strength and go to their side.
We can hold a hand, sit in silence, listen and pray.
It may not seem like much, but it helps them get back out there, fighting and surviving.
More to come...
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