Grief Turning into Joy

Today's Reflections

Grief Turning into Joy 

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Jn 16:16-20

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ¹⁶“A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” ¹⁷So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ [of which he speaks]? We do not know what he means.” ¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Reflection:

A little while and you will no longer see me. Jesus speaks these words to the disciples at the Last Supper. Yes, he will disappear from their sight for a little while, when he dies and is buried, but after a little while (on the third day) they will see him again, this time as the risen one.

All Christian sorrow is temporary for the followers of Jesus, just like all solar eclipses are transient. The eclipse of Jesus from the sight of his disciples cannot be permanent, because Jesus’ passion is not meant to last forever, but will end shortly. St. Therese of the Child Jesus suffered a terrible darkness of faith for 18 months, and sickness for a much longer time. But she died with a smile on her face, while saying, “O my God, I love you!” and is now a saint in heaven.

Let us never lose hope when we are in the dark.