paravanes:meditations

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."  Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus understands our loneliness.   The holidays are slowly approaching and news pieces and other information sources are beginning to tell readers and listeners how to prepare for the holidays. Typical advice says if you are spending the holidays alone, prepare ahead of time. Find something to do with other people; plan a trip with a group; donate time at a soup kitchen on Christmas or Thanksgiving. Don't allow yourself to feel the loneliness of being alone.   Being alone doesn't always equal loneliness. Still, it is good to know Jesus understands our loneliness. He was a unique person; though He loved those around Him, no one was just like Him. He was alone when He was tempted by Satan after forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert before He began His public ministry.

I have recently completed my three times per year ritual of going to the cemetery where my parents are buried (together, in what is called a "companion" grave site), clearing weeds away from the monument that bears their names and dates, and placing a seasonal floral arrangement. A good friend asked by why I do this. She said, "After all, they're not really there." I agreed with her and explained I do this because I recognize this space as the place where I bid them an earthly farewell, and that's very special to me.  Also, I recognize this space as the place from which they will be resurrected when Jesus calls them from the grave. The call may come next year, one hundred years from now, or a thousand years from now. It doesn't matter. Because I believe in the resurrection, a burial spot is sacred ground. That sacred ground deserves care and maintenance, if at all possible. (Image from Elmwood Cemetery , Detroit, Michigan) "O death, wh