God Raises the Dying

The healing work of Jesus can give us a false sense that faithfulness means we will not experience suffering, illness, or painful death. This is not true. God’s healing and resurrecting work brings consolation, community, courage and perseverance to trial, destruction, and death. The promise of life is not that we will be spared from death but that God will transform death into life. We are held by a God who raises us out of every pit, every struggle by the end. If the rising has not arrived, it is because the story is not over yet. There is a time for grieving and being broken by the pain of the world’s suffering. It takes holy and inspired courage in faith to walk through intergenerational trauma, poverty, abuse, violence, tragic death, and addiction, among other challenges and hold onto hope. Jesus himself weeps for the death of Lazarus before raising him. Together in our families and communities, we walk through each day of our life story, never letting go of the hope and the trust we hold in the Resurrected Christ.

Christ Jesus, bring hope and healing to the suffering. Give us wisdom and courage to face addiction, illness, trauma, suffering, and death with resurrection faith. Give us restlessness that will only relent when we join in your healing work. And give us unwavering hope that the Kingdom can come into our suffering to make us whole. Amen.

CCCB Reflection