KykNET Lent Guide 2023Sample

Week 3: Grieve

Day 1:

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

In Blackwater Woods By Mari Oliver (Excerpt)

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:11-18 NIV

In this story, we are invited, like Mary, to go into our pain and work through it. We do this by:

·Accepting our losses

In this world, loss is unavoidable and causes pain. The whole world, however, is determined to avoid pain. In this story of Mary, Jesus invites us to go into our pain, not to flee from it, ignore it, avoid it or deny it. We are invited to accept our loss and feel the pain.

·Explore the story behind our pain

Jesus invites us to reflect on what happens to us, put it into words, and share it with Him. He asks Mary why she is crying. It is not a judgmental question, blaming her for crying. He cares and feels for her. But He is inviting her to realise what is going on inside of her. He is simply no longer present in the way He was before. She has not lost Him, He is still there. With her, just in another way. By grieving, she can come to this realisation and enter this new way of living with Him.

·To grieve

It is a process that she needs to go through in order to let go of her pain. Jesus gives her 40 days to adjust and to say goodbye to the old life they shared together. He told her in advance that it would be a better life. She slowly began to understand and started moving into this new way of life. It is a process. But in the pain, there is comfort. It gets better. The frequency and intensity of the periods of pain become less. It is as if our souls require time to process the shock and grief so that we can step into the new life that He has for us.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt 5:4 NIV

Practice of Faith for the Week:

Take the time to write a Psalm during this week.