In the First Reading, the book of Wisdom tells us that God created us in his own image, to be imperishable. In chapter 3 of the book of Genesis, we are told the story of the sin of the first man Adam, that led to our fall which brought death into the world.

Often we blame God for the causes of death in this life, whether it is through forces of nature, a war, a chronic illness or a road accident. We have called it God’s punishment, or judgment on this world or a life being sacrificed for God. We have cried out to God asking why he allowed it to happen, especially about the death of a loved one.

We know of the tragic events of the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019 that killed hundreds of innocent people which resulted in the loss of whole families and loved ones. Why would God allow such a tragic event, especially on the day we were celebrating the resurrected Christ? The answer is he did not. Instead, he was crying with us at the loss of innocent lives, while the love of God, his passion for life, was rising inside of us.

If God does not delight in the death of the living, then we must look at death differently and not through the eyes of fear. When Jesus conquered death through his resurrection, he enabled us to face death with boldness rather than fear. We need to talk about death instead of being a society of death-deniers or avoiders, because death is inevitable and unavoidable.

When we speak of death, it is not limited to our physical end in life. It also refers to internal dying to ourselves, either when we sacrifice something for a greater good, or when we put to death, something that is not in accordance with God’s will, such as our addictions. Some lead purposeless, empty, and lonely lives without genuine human relationships. They would say that they feel as if they are dead already.

In the Gospel proclamation we see Jesus saving Jairus’ daughter from death by telling her to “get up!”. In Christ, the power of death is broken. The evidence of scriptures is that in God, we learn not to deny death but to face its reality. In Jesus we embrace the power to live unbound by death. Learning to live unbound by death means being encouraged that in Christ, we can live purposeful lives, in a deep relationship of love with him. It equips us to develop flourishing relationships with others. We are the people of the resurrection, so let us live boldly in God’s strength.

PRAYER: Abba Father, creator of the universe, thank you for our lives on this earth. Help us to appreciate and nurture your creation. Amen.