Sunday, September 5, 2010

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Thus begins another year of formation in Rome. As I say my goodbyes to family and friends, I am reminded of the moments in which Christ departed from his loved ones--namely, at the passion and the ascension. As our Lord prepared his disciples for what was to come: his death and resurrection, he consoled his evidently distraught and confused friends. Let's look at the words of our Lord according to St. John: "it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (16:7). There you have it! Although we may be parted geographically, we are united through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Eucharist, in Christ Himself. It gets better! The power that bonds us through the Eucharist is greater than any bond formed by humans. Thus, the paradox: because we are separated, we must rely solely on the power of the Eucharist, and therefore, we are united more perfectly. This is how I have seen my recent departure--not as a loss, but as a gain.

That's the first half of it. The second half is precisely laid out in the Gospel of Luke. Let's turn to the ascension: "Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy" (24:51-52). If we are united in the Eucharist, we cannot help but be filled with joy. The Eucharist is the "eschatological tension" as the late Pope John Paul II called it--that moment in which we have a taste of heaven on earth. How can that not bring us joy?

Goodbyes are often sad, painful, and difficult to cope with--all of which are natural--but it doesn't have to end there. We take this opportunity to be united in prayer, in the Holy Spirit. We offer ourselves at the table of the Lord, so that we may be united as one mystical body of Christ.