The race to the tomb

In the race to get to the tomb Peter was always going to lose. The other disciple, John, was young and fit. The middle-aged Peter must have struggled to even keep him in sight. It was good then that John waited and let Peter go inside the tomb first. It was Peter who saw that the tomb was tidy and the cloths folded up. Peter realised that he was not looking at a grave robbery but an event that was meant to be. Somehow all that Jesus had said must have dropped into place. Only then did John go in and they must have talked together and the reality of resurrection had broken into the male part of the community of disciples.

 When we meet setbacks one of the most frustrating things is that we all do it in different ways. Some need to see and touch the situation. Others need to throw themselves into activity like John, sprinting ahead. Others seem to draw into themselves and find a way forward in their own hearts. All these ways have their place in meeting change and the new life of resurrection. We all meet resurrection, new life, in different ways.

The trouble is that we tend to get through those ways at our own pace. Like John and Peter we need patience, to wait for people. We need to believe in the new life and light that follows setbacks and change. The way that Peter saw and believed was a gift he was given, so that he could strengthen the faith of the others. Most of us have to struggle for that light to grow strong inside, and respect the way that light is growing in those around us. Then perhaps we can wake up to the fact that the resurrection is all around us, the most quiet and indestructible energy at the heart of God.

Patience is needed with everyone, but first of all with ourselves

St Francis of Sales

Personal Reflection

How do I deal with setbacks and sadness?

Do I keep busy, go quiet, or need to talk things over again and again?
How do I deal with good news?

How do others around me deal with moving from sadness and loss towards light and hope?

Prayer

Lord, when things come to an end, it is not easy to see much good coming out of it. Sometimes, like Peter, we just need to see and believe and struggle. Let me use my struggle to hope as a doorway to deeper trust and faith in you. Help me to be patient with those who deal with the challenge of new beginnings in different ways from me. Help me wait for them, to recognise resurrection in their own lives with patience and faith.

Amen