Death. Most of us do not choose it for ourselves, much less for our loved ones. Both of my children died before me. Each year as I approach the anniversaries of their deaths, Pax in May 1982 and Catherine in April 2011, I walk a journey of remembrance.
Many of those who have been bereaved of precious loved ones find themselves doing this. We replay conversations. We think about who said what, who did what, what happened next. We may remember the weather vividly or some other detail. The last time we shared a meal together is a precious memory.
Remembering in this way is a natural part of the human experience of loss, and we are reminded at Easter that this is also a normal part of our Christian experience.
We are beckoned onwards this week. We know what’s coming. We began on Sunday, a lovely sunny day as it happened, celebrating the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. We’ve sat at his side at the table for the last meal with his followers, breaking bread and drinking wine in remembrance.
Evening falls, and we watch with him in the garden as he prays and weeps. We wait with bated breath for the arrival of Judas, the Betrayer. Our hearts are racing as we consider what happens next: Jesus is about to suffer. He will be ridiculed, questioned, accused; he will be stripped, beaten, crowned with thorns.
It is Good Friday now. We follow his faltering steps as he carries the cross. We are not alone. Crowds of grief-stricken women also follow, weeping and mourning.
Can it get worse? Yes, it can and it does. Jesus suffers the pain of crucifixion; the wooden beams are raised and he hangs there. Most of his friends have abandoned him. Still, his enemies mock him. There is agony, there is blood, and then there is death.
This journey of remembrance is painful yet it is one that is taken by many millions of Christians throughout the globe each year. Tears are shed as we dwell for a time on the sacrifice Jesus made in choosing to accept this cruel death.
Nobody tells the multitudes of mourning Christians to “move on” during Easter week. Nobody tells them, “stop your crying,” and expects them to “find closure” when the body of Jesus is laid in the tomb.
But so often that is the attitude of others towards a grieving spouse or partner or parent or child or sister or brother or friend. The Christian community does not always travel well with the mourners. There is usually sympathy for the person whose heart has been broken by loss, but the expression of that sympathy can be shallow. Often it simply does not acknowledge the depth of the pain of loss.
“She’s at peace, she’s with the Lord now.” (Yes, but she’s not here.)
“At least his suffering is over.” (But why did he need to suffer? Why didn’t God heal him?)
“It was God’s will.” (Really?!)
“Time heals all wounds.” (Nothing and no person can replace the person I’m missing.)
“Everything will be okay.” (How can it be? They’re gone!)
“Don’t you need to think about moving on soon?” (Moving where exactly?)
And the list of clichs and platitudes continues. We’ve all heard them, and most of us have probably said them at some point in time, in a well-intentioned effort to comfort the grief-stricken.
But would those have been our words of support if we had mingled in that crowd of grief-stricken women following Jesus to his death? Would they have been comforted?
Come Saturday, if we had found ourselves in the locked room with his disciples, would we have spoken those trite sayings? Would we have told Mary his mother, “time heals all wounds”? Would we have told John, “It’s time to move on”?
I don’t think so.
We now know that the days leading up to the big event – the procession, the supper, the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion – were not the end of the story. The anguish and hopelessness was followed by Sunday. The sun rises. Jesus conquers death.
But on the way to that victorious moment, there were many tears.
As individual Christians grieving our personal losses, the message of Easter does give us hope, but it is simplistic and just plain untrue to think that this all we experience. We are living with the sad absence of our loved ones and that can be hard to bear.
I have hope that my children are at peace and that one day I will see them again, but I still miss them.
I imagine how Pax would have looked and behaved if he had reached his 4th birthday, his 10th, his teens. It is hard for me to conceive how different my life would be if he was here now, perhaps a parent himself, which would have meant I was a grandparent. He would be 39.
And I miss dear Catherine, with her generous heart, funny sense of humour and love of cooking, but also her struggles with bipolar disorder. I miss her phone calls, I miss our visits. I miss having a daughter to advise me on clothing styles. I miss long talkative walks. I miss being able to congratulate her on her latest attempts at work or study. I miss sharing a cup of coffee or a meal out.
Easter isn’t only the palm branches of celebration and the sunrise of hope. There is also a procession of tears. Being more honest about grief, acknowledging it, facing into it, is how I believe we can survive the losses in our lives, as well as support others who are walking through their own dark valleys. The Road of Grief – How Well Do We Travel with the Mourners?
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I believe that the spirit of the Lord is upon me even at my darkest times both baby brothers died gun shot wounds to their heads then my son Michael passed.the Lord is still faithful until the end.He gives life doesnt take it.all the things the enemy is using to try and destroy me My Father in Heaven will uae for his Glory and Purpose.HE > I .we took part in his sufferings although it causes us grief.joy comes in the morning.Thank You God Bless You
So sorry about your loss.
Thank your for sharing and being an inspiration.
Very touching and beautifully said. Thank you for sharing! Bless you!
Great Article
Hi Betty, thanks for your comment. I’m so sorry to hear what happened to Junior and James. xo
I never thought about the grief of the disciples, which is strange because I have written a book for children to help them grieve after the death of a parent or a divorce. The truth is we should all grieve the death of Jesus, because without our sins, He wouldn’t have had to die. Yet God knew beforehand that we would need a Savior. Jesus was slain from the foundation of the earth. In other words, He planned to die for our sins. I guess He knew how weak we are.
You just told my story. Both my boys (my only children) preceded me in death. Junior was 14 when killed by a drunk driver. Just 4 years later, James, 21, was also killed by a drunk driver. I know I will see them again, and I know that this is just a blink in eternity. But that still doesn’t take away the void.