Ending with Love

I almost cringed when I read the readings for today because of their familiarity. How could I offer any new or enlightening perspective on such well-known readings? In the first reading, the Lord gives Moses a list of laws reminiscent of the ten commandments. The gospel, Matthew 25, is very recognizable to Jesuit student and faculty: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink…”

When I take the pressure off of myself to say something new or enlightening, and when I allow this post to morph into my own reflection at the beginning of my Lenten journey, I keep circling back to love. The first reading reminds us of the greatest commandments – to love God and to love neighbor. The Gospel further demonstrates the way we love God by loving our neighbor. Love is the only way I can connect the readings of today to my experiences of today.

Today is a day that my heart will be involved in two funerals. Two moments where love will be poured out. I will be attending the funeral of a friend and colleague who lost his mother. My husband will be attending the funeral of a good friend of both of ours who recently lost his fight with leukemia at the age of 31. The funeral is in Chicago, and since I’m over 37 weeks pregnant, I could not travel to attend. These funerals will celebrate the love that the deceased spread through the world in his or her life. These funerals will also be an outpouring of love by those of us here on earth – love for the deceased and love for those closest to the deceased.

Funerals are profound moments of unity and faith. No one is thinking about the righteous being separated from the wicked as we hear at the beginning of the Gospel. No one is wondering which commandments were kept and which were not kept during the life of our loved one. We remember the love we felt when the deceased was with us. We cling to our faith that death is not an end, but a beginning. We wonder how we will move forward with a piece of our heart missing. We pray for healing for ourselves and for each other. We are united in love and in the promise of the resurrection.

So today, I will think about the Lenten season in its entirety. I will remember that the faith that I must cling to today through my sorrow is faith that could only come about through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I will feel the love of God as I witness the love poured out in the celebrations of life occurring today, and I will be filled with gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice that allows life to not end with death, but to end with Love.

Author: Tricia Gerber, Campus Ministry