Jitterbugging for Jesus

From the late great little priest & teacher & prolific writer Henri Nouwen:
“Who can save a child from a burning house without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames? Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?” — From The Wounded Healer.
So much for feel-good, prosperity theology. Feel-good theology feels rather hollow when you experience a “Good Friday” in your life.
And everybody, sooner or later, will have a “Good Friday” in life.
The good news is the resurrection, of course, and new life, healed life, deeper life.
A deeper faith than feel-good-all-the-time faith empowers us to be fully present and compassionate with one who’s lost a job, one who’s had all the dreams and hopes of a marriage blow up in divorce, one who’s suffered the worst, such as the loss of a child. The only way we get through Good Fridays is to live through Good Fridays, sharing each other’s pain like Mary and those who loved Jesus did at the foot of the cross.
Then healing happens and new life emerges.
Easter happens!