Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
As our youngest is about to graduate from college, I’m aware of the mix of sadness and joy. There’s a bit of sadness, even a tinge of grief, as our last one enters adulthood more fully, soon to start his adult life in a different state further from home. And of course there’s joy. There's joy at what he’s accomplished, and that he has had this wonderful opportunity, and joy that he is able to move on to greater independence – that’s been the goal all along. Yet, we will miss him, just as part of me misses those younger years for all of my children, even while being grateful for the adults they’ve become.
Liturgically, we have been given Gospel readings from John this week as Jesus is preparing his disciples for his leaving them. While still in the Easter season, these passages from John are taking us back to just prior to Jesus’ death. We are also coming up to the Ascension followed by Pentecost. We’re aware that Jesus appears to the disciples in his resurrected body until Ascension when he is taken up into heaven before sending the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with them as well as with us.
I imagine the disciples experiencing a roller coaster of emotions through it all. Grief and loss and even confusion before the initial disbelief then joy of the resurrection; followed by more sense of loss and confusion with the Ascension; followed by some fear then more joy and peace as well as boldness with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost!
As we read in the gospel passage today (John 16:20-23), Jesus is preparing and reassuring his disciples, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy…I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”
Whether we are experiencing the smaller grief of a graduation or other life transition, or the bigger grief of a forced separation or death of a loved one, may we find hope in Jesus’ words, Jesus’ promise to us as disciples. And let us pray for one another that we might trust in the truth of the Resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
“You will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” Amen. Alleluia.
—Eileen Miller