Worth the effort
A few years ago, I had an opportunity to visit some parts of Poland, including Warsaw, Czestochowa and Krakow. Perhaps the best part of the experience for me was the opportunity to meet some of the people who call that country home, and to see firsthand what it’s like to live in a country that’s still mostly Catholic. Ordinary citizens will greet one another not with the somewhat banal ‘hi’, but rather with the Latin phrase Laudate Jesus Christus: praise be to Jesus Christ. Although young children will greet one another with familiar words which roughly translate as the equivalent of hello, it is almost expected that a priest will greet a passerby with the phrase roughly translated as May God bless you, and it would not be uncommon for the phrase to be repeated in greeting.
Although my stay in Poland was only a few days in duration, I have always thought that if I could learn enough of the language to make myself understood, it would be so much easier to live faith there than it is at times here. The Catholic roots of the Polish people are evident in the greetings they speak to one another, in the small but important observance of breaking and sharing a wafer not unlike a piece of communion bread between friends and family at Christmas, and even in the annual celebration of the parish feast day. Known as otpust, this feast day often includes not only the celebration of a Mass and a parade, but a mixture of games and toys which can be purchased to be enjoyed by children of all ages.
It might be easier to live a life of faith in such circumstances, but then again it might not, just as we might be tempted to think that in some ways, it might also have been easier to be a person of faith in the years when the apostles walked the earth. There’s a part of each one of us that is tempted to believe even today that it would be so much easier to believe that Jesus rose from the dead if we ourselves could see the mark of the nails in his hands. Yet, the wounds of Christ are indeed present every day in many different ways. Sometimes it just takes eyes of faith to see them, hands of faith to reach out and touch them, and words of encouragement spoken in faith to help the necessary healing to take place.
This past week, we celebrated the funeral of Liam Kirkwood, an eighteen year-old who completed his earthly journey on Holy Saturday evening. On Thursday morning, this church was packed with students from Saint Benedict’s who knew him, and who know his brothers. There were also many others who had played hockey with him, and of course there were family members and friends. As I looked out upon the sea of people, I couldn’t help thinking that these are the kids who don’t ever think that such a tragedy could be real. After all, it’s not normal that a life should be cut short just as it’s getting started. Liam’s struggle with cancer, and his death at such a young age has perhaps shaken the confidence of some of those who may even have idolized him. I hear he was a pretty good hockey player. Teenagers and adults alike are wounded when a loved one dies, regardless of age, and at times when we are most deeply wounded, we will all seek comfort and consolation. Sometimes words will help, but often no words in any language are adequate to soothe the ache that is in the heart.
The truth of the matter is that all of us, in all parts of the world, even here in this church today are wounded in some way or another. Some of us carry wounds that are deeper and more intense than others. Some are physical wounds while others are emotional or spiritual. Wounds can be recently-inflicted or old, even long-standing hurts that we might have carried for what seem like entire lifetimes. No amount of prescription medication can heal such hurts. True healing is an internal process which puts things right, and to do this, we need to face our wounds.
Although so many in our world would rather deny the fact of human mortality, some experiences in life force us to admit that none of us will be here forever. When a funeral is celebrated only days after Easter weekend, it’s fitting to remember that with great power the Apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, and with great power we too should give similar testimony to our belief that we too will rise with him on the last day. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, but it’s worth the effort.
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