Why?

Yesterday, we buried my mother.  She was an incredible woman whose entire vocation in life were to be the best mother and wife she could be.  The readings she chose for her funeral were anything but normal.  As we read the readings, we could only wonder why she had chosen them, but then we realized that the readings spoke to her vocation.  As with any death, we questioned why?  Why had God chosen to end her life so young?  (she was only 72)  The more we wondered the more we couldn’t understand. 

As I was contemplating what to say about her, my mind wandered and I came across a youtube video of Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) in which he gives a speech on the mystery of God.  In his speech, he quotes Isaiah 55, in which Isaiah says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”  In listening to that passage, I came to understand that our role is not to question God but rather to accept the mystery of God and God’s ways. 

We are all destined to die.  We know neither when nor where, but we know we will return to where we have come.  God is a loving God that shows compassion and understands the pain and sorrow we feel when a loved one dies.  It is through the knowledge of God’s love that we are able to move from the person’s death to their life eternal with God.  While we will never know God’s ways or thoughts, we do know God’s love for creation shown to us in the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ.  This is the source of my comfort and answers.  The pain of losing a loved one will be present but we have the memories of their time on earth with us as well as the knowledge that we will one day meet again around the heavenly banquet table prepared for us. 

I leave you with a prayer written by William Penn that has given me great comfort:

“We give back to you, O God, those whom you gave to us. You did not lose them when you gave them to us, and we do not lose them by their return to you. Your dear son has taught us that life is eternal, and love cannot die. So death is only an horizon, and an horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to you that we may know that we are nearer to our loved ones, who are with you. You have told us that you are preparing a place for us; prepare us also for that place, that where you are we may also be always, O dear Lord of life and death.”