"You Will Grieve, But Your Grief Will Become Joy"

Jesus said to his disciples:

“A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”

So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”

So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do not know what he means.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?

Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” Jn 16:16-20

In relation to my thoughts on home, the gospel reading for yesterday seemed rather appropriate. Separation, absence, real grief at the loss of something dear.

Grief signifies the value of the thing lost - or so a very wise woman once said to me.

And one of the greatest and wisest of authors understood this - and seems to have had Christ's parting words in mind when he wrote the following:

"Where are you going Master?" cried Sam, though at last he understood what was happening.  

"To the Havens, Sam," said Frodo.

"And I can't come"

"No Sam, not yet anyway, not further than the Havens. Though you too were a Ringbearer, if only for a little while.  Your time may come.  DO not be too sad, Sam.  You cannot be always torn in two.  You will have to be one and whole, for many years.  You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do."

"But," said Sam, and tears started in his eyes, "I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done."

"So I thought too, once.  But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam.  I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me.  It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, to lose them, so that others may keep them.  But you are my heir; all that I had and might have had I leave to you.  And also you have Rose, and Elanor; and Frodo-lad will come, and Rosie-lass, and Merry and Goldilocks and Pippin; and perhaps more that I cannot see."

"Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-Earth.  Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."

Weep and grieve for the loss - for it is fitting.  But, go forth in peace.

Dona Nobis Pacem