My parents died a number of years ago and in both cases I was able to be there at the time of their deaths. It was a privilege to see them pass from life in bodily form to a new life becoming one with God. I was reminded of their deaths as I heard the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John for Good Friday. The words placed on the lips of Jesus as he hung on the cross after taking the wine offered to him from a sponge, were “It is finished.” “And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.” My parents’ lives were finished and now they were able to enter into the glory of eternal life.

We walk with Jesus when we celebrate the Triduum; the days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. As Christians we believe in life after death because of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we listen to the passion of Jesus by way of the Gospel of Matthew and John we know of the suffering that Jesus experienced in these last hours. We enter into that suffering but we know how it ends. When he is able to say, “It is finished,” we know that the Resurrection is coming.

The joy and wonder of the resurrection is that life as we know it with its joy and suffering does come to an end but the mystery of the Resurrection is that life goes on. Jesus tells us that believing in him assures us of everlasting life. May we too be able to say at the end of our lives, “It is finished.” We hope that we will not fear death but instead we will be able to hand over our spirit to the fullness of a God who is love. We have a reason to celebrate Easter. We want to shout Alleluia because God is indeed a loving and merciful God who loves us beyond all telling. God gives us life so that we can give our lives back to God in the fullness of the resurrection.

-Helen Ackermann