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Four County Catholic June 2013
Nature’s Testimony: Life Beyond Death When I was a child, a year seemed like a reeeally long time. Life was just beginning – and time By Mary Tunison
was in abundance. Consequently, the focus was on living. As we mature, and the place mark on the continuum of life edges closer to the end than the beginning, our perception of life begins to change. Neck aches, back pain and creeky joints remind us that our bodies are temporary shells in this passing world. Like cars, sometimes we’d like to trade them in for newer models – but we can’t. Modern medicine may be able to replace certain parts but eventually they wear out too! When I lived in Florida, I would visit the beautiful cemetery grounds where my parents were laid to rest. Somehow, I felt close to them there. A beautiful place, complete with a large pond, rose gardens and various winding walkways, I’d spend many a summer’s evening strolling around and pondering some of life’s great mysteries. Like, “Why did we have to pay the price for Adam and Eve’s mistake?” Or. . .”Couldn’t there have been a way for God to provide heaven for us and bypass the misery of this life?” After all, God can do all things. As I meandered around, I would take note of names, birth and death dates, and some interesting one-liners. But I remember one grave, in particular, with a glass encased photo of a young man, in his late teens. Donned in his baseball cap and jersey, he smiled back as if to say, “Life is short, live well.” As I walked on, I began to realize the fragility of life. “People die at all different ages,” I thought, – a reality I already knew yet somehow now held greater impact. God created this world, exactly as it is, for a reason. True -- Christ didn’t have to suffer and die on the cross to save us but he chose this path to show us the depth of his love. Through his passion, excruciating suffering and death on the cross, he paid our sin debt in full and opened the door to eternal life. There’s something very important about believing without see-
ing all the evidence. There’s something intrinsically connected between trust and love. God desires that we discover Him as we journey through this “physical vale” of life. Through this discovery comes wisdom, insight suffering, joy, and growth – all of which nurtures and develops the spirit and lifegiving force deep within. Hints and clues of heaven and life after death abound in nature. While Jesus walked this earth, he often pointed to examples of it in nature to illustrate these spiritual truths. Consider the butterfly. Scientists have discovered that inside the chrysalis, the body of the caterpillar is completely destroyed. When the caterpillar enters the cocoon, it isn’t simply growing and developing with a few body parts being rearranged or a few new and improved appendages added on.
Virtually every cell that made up the caterpillar is torn apart until all that is left is a kind of nutrient soup with cells that contain all of the information needed to build a new, transformed life – a butterfly. I believe that G o d p u t
such an amazing phenomenon in nature to assure us that life doesn’t end with the death of our physical bodies. Something survives, fundamental to who we really are as a person made by God. Like the chrysalis, our human bodies are destroyed, but our intrinsic nature and spirit live on in a new form. Another example of how some-
thing dies yet lives on is the seed. Once the seed falls into the soil and meshes for a time with the various elements contained in the soil, the outer shell begins to open as it dies. Inside the dying seed, though unseen, a life force remains. Although the entire original physical composition of the seed is destoyed, new life emerges. Soil is a paradox, representing both life and death. It puts to death the old and brings to life the new. Coupled with the nurturing and sometimes dark, abrasive elements of the soil, along with the sunlight and rain which also affect its transformation, the seed resurrects into new life. Our life, here in this material world, is comparable to the seed in the dynamics of the soil. Here, we are exposed to both nurturing and abrasive
VOICES SHARED:
experiences – light and dark nights of the soul, joys and the storms of life – all of which serve to nurture and prepare the soul for new life in our eternal home. In his work, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis puts it this way, “At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door...But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. We shall get in...It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.” Mary Tunison works for Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Hartford, and is a freelance writer, photographer, artist, and graphic designer. She can be contacted at mtunison@comcast.net.
A healing presence is as important as a healing hand. WHEN IS PASTORAL CARE NEEDED?
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital seeks to care for the whole person. Our pastoral caregivers share in this mission by providing support for the spiritual concerns of the entire community.
· When a patient is fearful about a procedure · When a patient is facing difficult medical or personal decisions · When a patient wants to celebrate in times of joy and thanksgiving – or would just like to talk · When a patient is terminal or dying · When loved ones are faced with difficult decisions or need emotional support · When help is needed calling the participating clergy
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