Day 40

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. John 11:25-26 (Gospel on the Saturday of Lazarus)

As I read Fr. Stavros reflection today, I couldn’t help remembering many different moments in my own ministry that were very similar to the one he shared at the beginning of his reflection. There was one in particular that I would like to take a moment to relate to you.

In a previous parish, I had a parishioner who had been sent home for hospice care. We had terminal cancer. During his few weeks at home, I visited him a few times each week. One of the days I usually went was Monday. On this particular Monday his wife called and said that the hospice nurse had been there and that his breathing was starting to slow and that it looked to be a matter of days before he passed. I told her I hoped to get by there that day, but if not, I would certainly be there Tuesday. I had a number of things competing for my attention that day and had decided to wait until Tuesday to go. As I was going through my day and taking care of various tasks, I suddenly had an urge to go see him. I would put the urge off but it would always come back. Finally, late that afternoon I decided to go see him.

I walked into the room he was in and said hello. He welcomed me and we engaged in some small talk as I was setting up to pray and commune him. Once I had everything set we began to pray together. He had never been, at least during my pastorate, a very attentive Church member. I would see him here and there. But every time I came to pray with him, he knew every single prayer by heart. On this day, he recited all of them with him. Finally it was time to commune him, which I did. He crossed himself after receiving and I turned away from to put the small chalice down and to pick up the oil to anoint him. When I turned back, his eyes were closed. I anointed him and as I finished the prayers, I realized that he had passed away, right after receiving communion. As I stood there, somewhat stunned, I realized that he had achieved a “perfect death” if you will. He had received the Body and Blood of Christ and immediately had gone to meet him. I called his wife in and we prayed the Panachida together.

That experience has been with me for well over 20 years. I pray during my own prayers that I will have a death like that. The peace that came upon him as he received for the last time was profound.

Fr. Stavros makes a point today that we have heard before, that our time here on earth should be looked at as preparation. That life, true life, is being in the presence of God. My parishioner certainly used his time on this earth, especially his last few weeks, as preparation. After reading this reflection, I truly think that his preparation and his entrance into life (the presence of God) overlapped for just a moment as he received communion.

There were many tears from his family at his funeral. And while his widow shed tears of grief, she did so with the knowledge that he left this time of preparation to go to God. Of that there was no doubt.

As we enter into this Holy Week we are going to witness death, the death of Jesus Christ. It is this death that makes possible the event that I shared with you, as well as the one Fr. Stavros shared. Holy Week is often times referred to as a “bright sadness” because we are saddened by what happens to Jesus, but at the same time there is an underlying joy of what that death will accomplish. It is the same with a loved one. There is sadness when someone we love leaves this world. But there is joy in knowing that God, though Jesus Christ, has prepared a true life, an eternal life, for everyone who believes in Him.

Let us celebrate this bright sadness and the joy of Pascha!

In Christ

Fr. David