Reflection for Sunday, April 2, 2023

rivendellsfoodforthought

Apr 2

Some thoughts for April 2, 2023,
Palm/Passion Sunday, Year A

During the weeks of Lent
we have been preparing for the celebration of Easter.
Today we start to focus on the events
that led up to the crucifixion of Jesus.

The gospels tell us that
in Jerusalem the people waved branches
from the palm trees growing alongside the road.
They threw them on the ground like a welcoming carpet.
They did this to let Jesus know
how pleased they were to see him.

But all of that celebrating was soon to be followed
by much suffering and sadness.

Most of us find that coping with suffering
is among the most difficult things we have to do.
It is often worse
when it is the suffering of someone we love.
When faced with events about which
there is no rhyme or reason,
many people get asked the question:
'How do you cope with it all?'

So I thought that at the beginning of this week
it might be worth reflecting on
something written by Sheila Cassidy
who spent much of her life
caring for those who were dying.

In her book 'Light from the Dark Valley'
Sheila writes from the front line of suffering.

Most of the time
I am not aware of the cost of my work;
I like the people I work with,
patients, families, and carers alike,
and I enjoy both the challenge
of waging war against disease processes
and the satisfaction of helping people
to cope with pain and fear.

From time to time, however,
I am forced to acknowledge the pain involved
in being close to those
whose suffering is so cruel.
I think what hurts most is the impotence,
the having to say
'I'm sorry I can't make you better,
I can't cure your wife,
I can't stop her vomiting,'
and even, sometimes,
'I can't take away all the pain.'

It is this sitting empty-handed beside people,
foolish and useless as the women
standing miserably under the cross,
that makes my heart ache,
and drives me home at night
to bury myself in yet another television drama.

That extract from her 'Introduction'
lets us know part of how she copes.
It can remind us that most of us
will have to find our own way
to cope with the pain and cost of it all,
and it won't always be just turning to prayer.

Sheila once wrote that
'if you don't have coping strategies, then you won't survive'.

Holy Week is a good time to think about
how we cope with life,
especially when we meet suffering face to face.