There is nothing so painful as the death of a loved one. Whether death comes to a grandparent at the end of long life or a spouse dies suddently due to a heart attack or a child dies, death changes one forever.

Just as the story of Christ's birth is told each year at Christmas, so the story Christ's death and resurrection is told when a loved one dies. This story is the foundation for comfort and hope at the time of death.

The story of Jesus' death and resurrection is the central story for all Christians. It answers that most fundamental question of all, "Is there life after death"? For Christians the answer is YES. This is GOOD NEWS and it makes all the difference in the way one tries to live. We who believe that Christ rose from the dead also believe those who live according to the Spirit of Christ will share in His Resurrection and will live forever in love.

It is not just at times of death that the story of Christ's death and resurrection can comfort and guide a person. It is also at the time of one's little deaths. These "little deaths" can be times of suffering or failure or any number of other situations in which there seems to be no future.

The ultimate journey (death to life) is made only once, but during one's life many other journeys from death to life are made. We can name the stages of these journeys in light of Christ's own Passover. (The word Passover comes from the Exodus story when the angel of death passed over the homes of the Hebrews marked with the blood of the lamb and their passing over the dry land to freedom.) To speak of Christ's Death and Resurrection is to sum up this Paschal Mystery.

Good Friday - the experience of struggle and loss of life.

Easter - the experience of new life.

The 40 days after Easter
This is a time of waiting. During this time one both grieves what was lost and becomes aware of the new life that is beginning to develop. The forty days are symbolic. It represents whatever time is necessary to grieve and to experience new life.

The Ascension
The Ascension is that time when one lets go of the past. To let go of the past is not to forget the past, but to let the past bless you even if it has been painful.

Pentecost
Pentecost signals the coming of a new spirit, the Holy Spirit. New life begins to blossom.

For some the Paschal Mystery might become a reality when a child goes to Kindergarten for the first time. It can be a wrenching situation for the child and/or parent (Good Friday). School turns out to be OK (Easter). The first day(s) can be rather long (The forty days). Soon it becomes easier to send the child to school (Ascension). School helps the child develop new skills and friends (Pentecost).

The garden is a place where lovers meet. It is in the garden that we meet God.

In the very beginning, God met and walked in the cool of the evening with Adam and Eve.Here God spoke to them and told them of His great love for them.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweated blood because he was in agony. He knew he would be betrayed and put to death the next day. Everything in him cried out, "NO!". But he knew, he knew that only by dying to self could he show others the way to life and peace. So he said, "Father, not my will, but your will be done." Then he was free, free to offer his life.

A parent, whose child is born with a physical or mental disability, struggles to determine how best to love no matter the cost. A husband, whose wife is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, finds himself struggling to do what is right.

At some time, each person enters the Garden, there to struggle with "What it means to love." When we know what we truly love, we will have the strength to do whatever is asked of us.

Because Christ has gone before us, we can face death no matter what its form knowing that Christ, the Good Shepherd will lead us to the banquet table of new life.

At the end of time, the city and the garden will become one. The river of life giving water will flow down the middle of the street and the tree of life will grow on each side. Then we will look with love upon the Face of God and be called Blessed.
(Rev 22)