Losing Someone You Love

After Jesus died, the Apostles hid in a locked room to get away from those who killed Him. Suddenly, Jesus was in the room with them! "Peace be with you," He said, showing them the cuts in His hands and side to prove it was really Him. "Receive the Holy Spirit," He added, and gave them the power to forgive sins.

When you lose someone you love, you feel terrible. Most of all, you want them back; but you also want just to see them again and know they're okay, and to know they're watching over you.

People don't often get that wish after someone they love passes away. But in this week's Gospel (John 20:19-23), the Apostles do - and that might reassure kids who are struggling with grief today.

It's hard to accept when someone dies that you'll never see them again. For a while, it doesn't seem real that they're gone; then it does, and you're sad and scared and angry.

The Apostles felt all those things. They had gotten so used to having Jesus around, it was hard to imagine life without Him. They were so miserable, they hid behind a locked door to talk about it.

When someone passes away, people tell you that you have to accept it. Imagine how shocked the Apostles were to actually see Jesus again! They knew then that He was really the Son of God, because regular people don't come back to life.

The first thing Jesus did was to comfort His friends with peace. Then He proved who He was, showing the wounds He'd gotten before He died. Finally, He sent the Holy Spirit to help them move on. 

Jesus' coming back shows that, after people leave this world, they do go to heaven. Jesus also reminds us that people who pass away are happy with God and want us to be comforted. 

If Jesus cared about the Apostles, you're still being loved from heaven by the people who live there now, too!

(05/28/09)