Dying Together, Living Forever

Dear Friends in Christ -

In late August of 1878, a nun named Constance did a brave thing. She stayed in Memphis to help those who were dying in the midst of an epidemic of yellow fever. As the whole city basically evacuated to higher ground (safer ground, away from the deadly mosquitos causing the plague), Constance and a couple dozen of her fellow nuns stayed behind. Before the plague was over, Constance and her sisters caught the disease, and they, too, died.

Their sacrifice reminds me of the sacrifice of the fire-fighters September 11. They went to do what they could to help, thinking not of themselves, but of the thousands of people who needed their help.

Twice this week, this passage of Scripture has surfaced; once in Sunday's lectionary, and once in today's readings honoring Constance and her companions. "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

There's a common thread in the story we heard on Sunday - Jesus and his disciples wrestling with Jesus' prediction of his own death - and the story of Constance and her companions. The common thread is this: even the fear of death can be overcome if we band together as a community. Coming together as a community enables us to stay true to our highest calling - to love God and to love one another - even in the midst of death.

Last night at our Deanery meeting, we were honored to hear a presentation by Jean Morris, a nurse with the Visiting Nurses Association. She has a great passion for teaching church communities like ours how to accompany those who are dying. A key theme of her presentation: we do this work together.

In courageously facing death together, we come to know and love each other in ways deeper than words. Experiencing this love is a foretaste of the Love that is deeper than oceans and broader than heavens, Love that's for eternity. In dying together, we learn to live in Love forever.

Faithfully yours,
Janet+