Meditation 12.23.15

A meditation for this morning (compilation of my readings):

A Jesus follower after some basic practice will find a sweetness, a joy, even a satisfaction in prayer, contemplations, and meditations. They will feel like they are at peace with the world because of the peace that they feel with God. And then the trial comes, the darkness envelops, and the follower wonders why. Why is that peaceful, sweet spirit becoming enveloped in whatever this nasty thing may be. As St John of the Cross would say, "God sees that they have grown very little, He weans them from the sweet breast so that they may be strengthened." The sweet milk of peace that satisfies is wonderful, but if they stay there they will never learn to grow. I look at my 3 grandchildren. I love them dearly. My oldest I am sure would have loved to stay in that place of peace and security, but she had to be weaned so that she could grow. She can now talk, walk, dance and swim, non of which she could have done if she had been allowed to stay at that place of sweet milk. So God weans us off of the sweet peace that we originally feel and we now face darkness that we may grow, that we might become fully known.

 

For more encouragement see: The Dark Night, Book 1, Chapter 8, St. John of the Cross

Why Funerals Are Important

Getting ready to leave New Hampshire after I drove the 1400 miles plus to be here on Monday morning for the funeral of a high school friend, age 50, who died just over a week ago of a heart attack. It was a very moving service. In the midst of the sorrow, I got to meet his 15 year old son and also to reconnect with 4 other high school friends after more than 30 years. What a blessing.

Several asked why I would come on the spur of the moment. The answer was easy. Life is to short. I've had 4 other friends the same age die in the last 2 years. I didn't make it to their funerals - I wish I had.

No one ever thinks that they are going to die. Death is a 100% certainty and yet we somehow are always surprised by it. We "accept" it if the individual is older, but still we are surprised. I remember my shock as a 12 year old when I found that a classmate had died or even at age 17 when a young man of 7 in our small school died. Or the first friend to take his own life at age 21.

Life is too short.

And that is why funerals are so important. I know that the trend is to have celebration services or something similar, but I think that this is a dangerous trend. Funerals are not to be times of joyful celebration, laughing and joking. They are meant to be somber times so that we can focus on the life of the one that passed on and also so that we can stop and consider our own lives and how short they really are. It is a time of reflection and evaluation. There is a time for laughter, but there also must be a time for tears.

I had to come here. I had to reconnect with old friends and memories of another friend. I had to sit back and ask myself at age 50 about what I am doing, where am I, am I fulfilling some purpose or am I just living through the motions day to day. The tears that came on Monday and then again at a Veteran's Cemetery on Tuesday are cleansing tears. They wash the soul. They relieve some of the mental anguish that I, that all of us, hold in behind forced smiles.

Life isn't fair. It's not meant to be. It's meant to keep us honest with ourselves and with our God. If one never knows when their life will end, how then will they then live responsibly in each and every moment? If I believe that I will live to 100 then I can slack off at times. However, if I really believe that the next moment could be my last, I will make each moment count in some way.

Life is too short. Funerals are reminders to keep us honest.

RIP Barry.

Blessings,
David