The Rising to Come

And now, we are called to celebrate new life. 

We can get stuck in suffering.  It happens sometimes because that's how life goes. Some lives are unspeakably hard. Some suffering lasts a very, very long time. Because this happens, we can get stuck in grief, in sorrow, in loss, or even the sorrow and frustration that come with illness.   And yet...  Easter gives us a quiet, profound, "And yet ..."  

I had the good fortune to hear an impressive sermon 17 years ago, by a young seminarian. Her sermon's last line said:  "Suffering is not the final answer."  

I cling to that message, not only when a load lightens or physical or emotional pain decreases, but also when I am at my lowest point, physically, mentally, or both.   "Suffering is not the final answer." 

For some whose suffering is massive, such as people living through wars, famines, or under
authoritarian rule where they can be arrested for no reason, I must keep this post honest. Sometimes, the fact that suffering is not the final answer speaks not to this earthly life, but to life eternal, the soul moving on from physical earth and its physical body.
Still, if we have the opportunity while we are on this earth to pause from our suffering and experience the transformative cycle of resurrection, then we must take that opportunity. 

It's how we maintain joy, even in the face of great unhappiness or hardship.

To rise from where we have been may take work. It may seem strange in its newness. We may not trust how it looks or feels at first, but that is the package new life often comes in: an utterly unfamiliar one. 

 And , so, we rise, to experience in a new way that which is 

true and good, bathed in mystery and light. 

Blessings, all.

COMES THE DAWN

©Ysabel de la Rosa

Comes the rain and cleanses the night.

Comes the rain and washes the shadows,

away, away.

After the rain, comes the dawn,

bringing the clear light of

a now-bright, new day.

Comes the morning, and I rise,

whole and strong, with grateful eyes,

I turn to sun to start, and welcome

a rainbow in my arms,

the future in my heart.

Like a song,

like a song,

I will rise,I will rise.

From dark night to daylight,

a rainbow in my arms,

I will rise,

I will rise,

I will start anew,

like a song that sounds

a part of all that is,

I will rise,

I will rise,

bright future in my heart.

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