Holy Saturday, April 11
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-3. Let the house of Israel say: God's love endures forever. God’s right hand is raised; God’s right hand strikes with power. I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of God. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By our God has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.
| "Mommy - when
people die and go to heaven, can they still do all the fun things they do here?”
My six-year-old asked me this question before he went to sleep tonight. Under most
circumstances, I would have viewed his question as yet another tactic to stall
the bedtime routine, but tonight I was asked to reflect upon Psalm 118, verses
1-2, 16-17, 22-23, so his response carried much greater meaning for me. I'm not
sure that there is a “right” way to respond to such a question, but I simply said,
“Isandro, God is SO powerful (six-year-olds LOVE that word) that God opened the
doors to heaven for all of us – and as long as we believe in God, we get to go
to the COOLEST place. . .cooler than ANY place we can even imagine on this planet –
and God is there to take care of us forever. My son seemed very satisfied with
my response, but when I left his room, I began to wonder why it is easy for a
six-year-old to be so incredibly open to such an idea. . .to have so much unconditional
faith, yet my own faith is tested frequently. God's love endures forever. What
a comforting, yet powerful message from our Lord. . .a message that my son
probably wouldn't question – because in his mind, ‘forever’ means exactly that. . .
forever. But, it makes me wonder if a word like ‘forever’ has lost its meaning over
time. Example. . . Love is forever, yet the divorce rate in our county is over 50%. Friendship is forever, yet I can name five people who were very close to me whom I haven't talked to in years. Even our beloved Emily Dickinson said, “Forever is composed of nows.” So in reading this psalm, I reflected upon the idea that faith transcends the boundaries of our world, our world-view, and even the stretches of our imagination. I take great comfort in the notion that God has the power to love us unconditionally, and has reserved a place for us in God’s kingdom. I pray that my children will always come to me with the questions that weigh on their hearts, knowing that my answers will probably not always be accepted without questions, but hoping that they have the opportunity to reflect upon their own fears and renew their own faith as they answer similar questions posed by their own children. Until then, I embrace my forever composed of nows, anxiously awaiting my forever with my Lord. - Sara Jimenez Soffa, Assistant Professor of Education; Institutions of Higher Education Coordinator, Ed.D. Program |