Resurrection: A Transformative Journey Through Grief

This episode is a pilgrimage through the landscape of sorrow, where we consider the ways in which grief transforms us, drawing us into a deeper communion with God's expansive heart;  where the idea of resurrection poses profound questions about the eternal embrace of divine love.  Join us as we consider the transformative power of grief and the enduring promise that resurrection offers solace and strength to our bereaved hearts.

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Our theme music is:  Gentle Breeze by Yeti Music from the album "Uppbeat".
Additional Music and sound effects today by:   via Pixabay.

Transcript

Candee Lucas: 0:27

Thank you, welcome to this week's episode of Solace: Soul + Grief. I'm Candee Lucas. We're glad you're here. This podcast is sponsored by Catholic Cemeteries and the Diocese of San Jose. The death of a loved one is a very difficult life transition and we hope we can answer some of your questions, help you find where God is moving in your life as you continue your grief journey, and remind you of the power of your faith and love for God. You're always welcome in our circle of healing, love and care.

Candee Lucas: 1:26

What does the resurrection mean to those of us who have lost someone dear? Does it remind us first that our loved one did not come back in three days? Or does it remind us of the promise of a new life after death, a realization of eschatological perfect love in the divine, which may be a form of divination in itself? It's probably not a coincidence that the Eastertide season corresponds with spring and the reawakening of the earth and the renewal of the promise of a bounteous summer, growing season, crops and a bountiful future. Are not these very same things that the resurrection has promised us? The spring rituals and the renewal rituals all recognize new life but, more important, continuing life. Our souls are born malleable, with only the handprint of God's love on our hearts. We blossom, we grow into human beings, guided, hopefully, by parental love and under the eyes of a nurturing communal family. We are allowed to stretch our wings and grow into unimaginable creatures who create song and art and poetry and reading, who discover science, who can tell the story of the world and the universe in music or mathematics. We grow in our understanding of God's love and as we grow, it seems the bounds of that love grow farther and farther out. That circle of love surrounding us is larger and larger and more complex and more distant than the ends of the universe. Now that we have seen photographs from deep space, we understand in a way early Christians or Babylonians or Buddhists or Hindus or people of ancient religions Celts, Norsemen-- could not understand the word celestial as we do.

Candee Lucas: 6:01

Looking deep into the universe is very much like looking into the eyes of God or looking into the heart of God or looking into the mind of God. When we see those photographs that are so full of color and light and form, they're quite different than the universe we imagined as children, that universe that was dark, dark and deep and unfathomable. Dark and deep and unfathomable this is much like our grief journeys as we experience them. The grief is so dark and unimaginable and fathomless when it first comes to us. Most often it comes unbidden and unwelcomed.

Candee Lucas: 7:16

But after a time we learn to live with it. Some of us learn to live within it. Some of us learn to ignore it. Until later, maybe much later in life, it comes crashing in, but it is and opens a new universe for us.

Candee Lucas: 7:43

This grief, it unlocks the heart of God to us in a way we never could know without that grief, because at one time, at that moment, it freezes our love for that lost person as a diamond forever that we will forever treasure in our hearts, carry with us daily. We learn to walk the path of grief so that we can recognize where we are situated in the world, so that we are not undone, so that our place in God's heart and in our loved one's heart are permanently and solidly made. We start to learn the depth of love, the breadth of love, the sound and savoring and features of love's face and love's heart. It all becomes very real to us because we don't have the person, because we are missing the font--w ith the passing of our loved one, but the presence of God, the acknowledgement of the presence of God, the very act of asking for His love and assistance brings Him closer to us as close as we want Him, as close as we need him to be. He travels our path as surely as we loved, as we were loved as we are loved. So, until that time, stay safe in God's love. Remember his place in your heart, more importantly, your place in his heart. He holds us carefully there, as if we are the dearest thing to him, because we are. That concludes another episode of Solace.

Candee Lucas: 10:53

A new one drops every Friday. Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or find us on Google. I'm Candee Lucas, your host, or find us on Google. I'm Candee Lucas, your host, aftercare coordinator, chaplain and spiritual director at Catholic Cemeteries at Gate of Heaven in Los Altos, California. Please contact us if you have questions or seek spiritual direction. Our contact information is in the show notes. Be gentle with yourselves. Travel with God. Vaya con Dios.