For Evangelization (4)
I don’t like being sick. My friends and community members also do not like my little sicknesses, for I can be rather irritable on such occasions. I few times, when I have been more seriously ill, I have been hard to live with at first, but once I have accepted the diagnosis, and know that I am on the mend, I can relax, enjoying good books and rest. Why the change in attitude? I think I finally accepted my state and trusting doctors, medications, nursing care, and of course God, I was able to relax knowing that I would eventually be busy at work, prayer, and play again. That is hope, a virtue that helps us enjoy the present while looking forward to an even more blessed future.
I marvel at friends who are terminally ill. I remember three men in our social service center, all homeless and all with tuberculosis. The disease had advanced beyond the help medicine could give, so these men patiently waited for the end, using oxygen generators to help them breathe, and medication to reduce pain. They seemed at peace with this. None were Christian, but accepted their Hindu and Buddhist beliefs that life would continue after this life’s death. That was enough for them!
How lucky we are to have faith in the Risen Christ, so that we too can look beyond death to greater life! We accept death as Jesus did, not death on a cross but a death, like his death, leading to heaven, thanks to his sacrifice for us! The terminally ill Christian rightly does everything in her power to stay alive and make the most of her earthly life, despite pain and weakness. I am thrilled to watch such people live life to the fullest extent they can! When one realizes that death will be soon, and can relax and wait patiently, he shares that wonderful hope with us.
I love to remember Fr. Bertrand Saubolle, S.J., who died here in Kathmandu in 1982. His heart was weak, and he awaited yet another heart attack. He did not mind! He said that his life was now like that of a child’s, a time to play! Daily he would wander in the village below his residence, bringing cheer to old friends, and perhaps a snack or some used clothing to a poor family. There was never a complaint from him.
We now prepare to celebrate Holy Week and Easter. We marvel and God’s love for the universe in first sending his Son, Emmanuel, to live with us and show us how to live in faith, hope, and love. We know we are sinners, so marvel even more when we remember Jesus’ death, full of suffering, yet with inner peace as he emptied himself of everything in obedience to the Father so as to fill the world with eternal life. We share that life now!
Let’s make the most of these April weeks ahead of us, remembering that whether we are near the beginning or end of our earthly lives, we are on our way to greater life. That life makes life on earth seem so unimportant! On Palm Sunday see Jesus, sad over graces the people of Jerusalem, his people, have turned down. We wonder at what chances we have missed to be closer to him and his people. On Holy Thursday we remind ourselves that God is with us in the Eucharist. Good Friday challenges us to stand by the cross, wondering at the power of Jesus’ forgiving love. We spend Holy Saturday waiting with Mary and the disciples, wondering what will happen next. Finally we rejoice on Easter, with thanksgiving for the hope our faith in the Resurrection brings us.
We end this month in thanksgiving for the mercy God has brought us, praying that we may enjoy complete inner health by accepting that mercy. We measure our acceptance by being merciful, especially to those in pain.
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