"GRIEF AND THE AWAKENING" Easter Sunday Homily

introduction

The week before last, before the Easter died my landlord, Mr. Astolfo Buelvas, everyone called him "Adolf" was 90 years old but he was still strong and vigorous despite his frail appearance, her family faithful to the traditions of Sucre asked me to accompany him on the nine nights of vigil and lifting the altar, this custom that once years ago, was also in my hometown Barranquilla yet unknown to me, being a Presbyterian from birth, and even Catholic priests friends they said they did not see it but the syncretic Catholic custom of American Indian and African animists, but that lasted over time in some regions.

Believed and still do that the spirit of the deceased remained for nine nights with his things unless they are of a proper farewell and drink a glass of water on an altar ready and they should light the way with a candle etc.

A little disturbed by not being a part of our Christian custom went to the family and explain to them that it was not part of my tradition to celebrate such rites and yet if they wanted I would be praying and giving them consolation, bringing the word that gladly accepted, I would accompany them, I think is a part of the ministry that I have earned the bitter moments I have spent many mourners accompanying the ninth night fell right on Friday and presbyters and I did as pastor worship Friday Santo outdoors, there in the street of the neighborhood Bolivar in the front door of the family home who accompanied the readings of the seven words.

Sometimes when I explained that as a pastor I do not celebrate such rites to non church members often call a  “Rezandero” o "prayer leader" a person who prays several magic words for the lifting of the altar, but that night I called and asked me "you say goodbye to our father, Pastor, you should be in charge." and that Good Friday which marks the sacrifice of our Lord accept this call There on the table was a candle, a glass of water, a crucifix, a flower and a white robe in sign of the Cross. We pray in community and read 1 Thessalonians 4. appreciate the symbolism of this "altar" and asked that the family would get up together, skip the omens and beliefs and gave them the Gospel concerning the Holy Ghost fire always burning, life is extinguished but to light before the Lord, water likewise symbolizes purity and power of God's spirit returns to earth, the crucifix symbolizes the Lord's sacrifice for us and the white mantle hope and remembrance of his resurrection and ours, was solemn and fast, wept farewell, and all embraced, then understood the importance of mourning, I understood the hope of resurrection, understood amidst this world of duels and lightning fast funerals the importance of giving the pain your time and space.

                                    "GRIEF AND THE AWAKENING"

A woman's cry broke the silence in the solitude of the morning, looked disconsolate where he had lain his friend, his teacher, his body beaten and tortured had been taken from the tomb where he was to remain for eternity, and the disappointment of not having a place to mourn, to remember and to see him again but his body was cold and stiff bitterness filled her.

gone before early in the morning, two women had accompanied him, one was Juana and Maria was the other, the latter was the mother of James, another of the many disciples of his master, neither was there now. awaited them locked in a room frightened, but they had been there earlier themselves at risk of rape by soldiers or other FOUND that at that time, or the murder or the theft of expensive paper wearing a perfume. went to see the body by wearing perfume to anoint and wash the corpse of the man who was Jesus, full of courage to face the possible guard guarding the body.

I remember accompanying an elderly woman whose son had been missing for two years, she was one of the mothers "memory keepers" group of people seeking testing and data paramilitary crimes in the north and south of Sucre and son had been one of many victims of a notorious paramilitary Sucre known as Jorge 40, she and other mothers wore a shirt, a sweater wearing cotton printed a photograph of his son and the date of his "disappearance" in it , the young man was an activist of 28 years, she knew he was dead, I knew he had been killed but the grief in his heart was the fact that his son did not have a place to be crying and be buried. When I confronted the man who was deemed to acknowledge that he had done to his son, this story coolly as he had killed and his body was buried with many young nameless place beside the road , for her torture of three years had come to an end, there was still justice and reparation for the lost son but the rest to find even the bones of his son, full of consolation, that this had been the end found. That could finally mourn beside his grave and could finally make his unfortunate son mourning.

That reminds me or do a parallel in the endless feelings that might go through the mind of Magdalena to see the empty tomb, Luke reports that women's surprise was huge because two men in white garments simply told Jesus, not among the dead, He is risen-This statement rather than a joy filled them with terror, ran in the presence of strangers and it was told the other disciples, they took the body of our master, no longer!. - resurrected? you may not believe or even accept this possibility, apart from his master to kill him, robbed him rest in the earth, Peter and John ran to see for themselves the truth of these words, to reach the empty tomb knew, was true his body was gone, Peter was embittered possibly thought - "not even have respected her body" but the other disciple fell to his knees, something in her broken heart began to heal, understood that Jesus had risen. They were each with different thoughts about this, but Mary continued disconsolate.

Then there exposed as a single woman solo attack, one distraught and uncomprehending tears listening between the arrival of a man who said:  woman, what are you looking for?   In his pathetic desperation yell at you believed to be the gardener, looking for a hope of finding the body of his beloved teacher-Please tell me if you took it where it is, I beg you, I ask, between tears, man's response was call her by name: Mary! -The surprise of the woman must be capitalized, was he was in front of you, not a corpse, but he himself, his friend and teacher talking and comforting. . Maestro!

The mother of the young activist hope forensic report for finally recognizing the remains of her son, she would take the remains to rest next to her husband and her other son, they were not found, her son was not where should be, when the paramilitary command to kill the activists, one of them was wounded in the head but died, was buried, but in the middle of the night left the tomb under a torrential downpour, the road for miles and wound body covered with dirt and bruises, trauma had left him speechless and deaf, for two years the young stranger remained in an institution and then to recover. Without memory of his name or his past had been in a village near Urabá as a kitchen, two years later during the hearing of those murdered by paramilitaries acknowledged on television in his mind broken by firing a woman among the rest of people demanding justice and redress, recognized a face in photographs and among the missing and television, among people looking for her family, mother and son were found after four years, despite being a little stutter and deaf, and with blindness in his right eye hug his mother in the midst of tears and disbelief, her son had died and was now alive and a mother began to believe in the resurrection

The embrace of both Jesus and Mary Magdalene, have lasted an eternity, the embrace of Jesus the cupcake filled with joy, Reina Varela Version translates the voice of Jesus in Greek "I aptou mou" same Catholic version Latin: "Noli Me Tangere" and "do not touch me" a cutting phrase for someone who sees her risen Lord, other possible translations are "Let go" or rather prefer to believe that Jesus said not to stop - I will go to the father now tell my brothers that we will soon, Mary became the first apostle there sent his disciples with a message, "The Lord has risen" The comfort of the reason is that we think the safest bet. Without a shred of historical evidence or tangible to countless possibilities or possible explanations, to despair, hope against hope, we the church have believed that Jesus is risen! And we will rise along with it. Christ Lives!