If Death is Possible so is Resurrection – God, Grief, and Miracles

If something so bad as death is possible, so must it be that something so good as resurrection is possible. If death is possible, so must resurrection be.

Our pet, who we affectionately called ‘Wizdom Cat’ (maybe an ironic play on her lack of foresight - she once tried to jump into a painting), recently went missing for about three or so days, and then without warning, she came back through the door Sunday morning as if nothing had happened. We loved on her, let her roam around in the living room instead of the annex where she stayed, and pet her. It was a delight to have her sweet, innocent, and curious little self back after those three missing days of uncertainty

And then, on the Wednesday after her return, my sister suddenly came into my room to tell me she had been hit by a car.

It seemed like a joke. It was the bounce back to the worst and seemingly impossible case. No! Not after that sweet and joyful reunion! Why now? Why after experiencing her loss and return?

It felt like a rug had been pulled out under me - a cat-sized rug. Her sudden death brought up a whole wave of connected emotions and flashbacks. It was like the straw that broke the back. I was left rattled and reeling after the shock news.

I tossed and turned that night. Eventually, I fell asleep and woke up the next day, cried some more, and indulged in my sadness because I tend to grieve very heavily upfront. 

As I languished depressed in bed, I decided to read up on Catholics and pets and read all the different perspectives on it. Some don’t think pets will be with us in the afterlife, and some do. In the midst of this, I found some really heartwarming resurrection legends** of St. Francis of Paolo raising animals from the dead through God’s grace, even a little fish from a pond he loved but who had been cooked. It was just the tender sweetness and hope I needed.

The story also brought me back to what I had done in the past for greater grief when a human loved one had died. At some point in that old grieving process, I had the thought to pray to God for a miraculous resurrection. After all, Jesus had said we would do more wonderful miracles than he had during his time in ministry - and so I put the ball in God’s court with that act of faith.

And when the prayer wasn’t answered, I was disappointed, but I also felt… at ease. Because I really felt then that if God wanted this person to come back He would bring them back. And it could happen any second, any moment, any hour. Anytime he could answer the prayer and do it if He knew it for the best.

Somehow, in a small way, this approach gave an insight into the joyful expectation of reunion. I don’t see the future - perhaps it could happen in my lifetime! Perhaps with Jesus' Second Coming if that were to happen when I am alive.

With this thought to help take things one day at a time, my loved one can stay on an errand, an adventure, or a trip and return any day. The days will not stretch so long knowing the bigness and possibility of God, the mysterious variable of goodness, and unexpected joy.

I don’t know if this is helpful thinking for everyone. I think it could seem a little fantastical and inappropriate and unhealthy to think this way, but I think that knowing God is miraculous is the antidote to surviving the insanity of death – after all, death is already an inappropriate thing. Inappropriate things require unusual thinking and miraculous solutions. 

When I think about the miraculous and mysterious nature of God, I can better understand that there is something so much bigger and more wonderful than what I see going on. While my movement of little joys and happiness on earth such as petting our sweet cat is good, there is a fabric and change and movement of God that is running and working all things for good as the world runs towards heaven. 

Who knows how He will answer my prayers for a miracle? In the meantime, I can put the responsibility of lasting joy and fulfillment into His Hands as He works all things out for good. And I can let my life and my loved one’s lives be held by a God who I believe is truly out for ultimate happiness in the end and loves all creation - for he would not make what he hates. And so creation, even little cats, will give him glory by playing in and exploring the eternal fields and forests.

Even as time rolls on, and the bite of sorrow from this dulls and softens, a new sadness might come, but through it, I will be able to remember the miracle prayer when I need it, glance heavenwards for another moment, and believe that God can. 

The timeline of life will culminate in the joy of reunion in heaven, in the best and perfect timing that God chooses. Until then, the reward won’t have to feel like a long wait, but just on the other side of the door. 

* “Time is but a shadow, a dream; already God sees us in glory and takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my soul! I understand then why He lets us suffer…” 

-St. Therese of Lisieux
Link: https://www.littleflower.org/st-therese-daily-devotional/time-is-but-a-shadow/

** St. Francis of Paolo resurrection legend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Paola