Life and Death

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, March 10th, 2024:
Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Ephesians
2.4-10

​God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — for it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come God might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. This is not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I have a tattoo on my right wrist of a symbol from a Harry Potter novel. The symbol is called the Deathly Hallows, and it represents three key objects in the books, tools that allow their owner to control some key aspect of death. A wand allows the bearer to kill any enemy, a stone allows the bearer to resurrect any loved one who’s passed away, and a cloak allows the bearer to hide themselves from death. These objects are fought over, constantly stolen, endlessly sought. There is perhaps no greater desire for human beings than to control, avoid, or defeat death. As I write this reflection, my family has lost two of my aunts in as many months, and the grief is still fresh, potent. The veil between us has never felt thicker. 

My tattoo also has the three theological virtues around the Deathly Hallows symbol, written in Latin: fides(faith), spes (hope), and caritas (charity, often translated love). As Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, these are not won or earned by human efforts – they are gifts given by a generous God. In fact, they are incompatible with control. The more we desire to be in charge, to earn our salvation, to work our way into God’s good graces, the further we find ourselves from faith. 

Letting go of control is scary. I wonder if that’s why this passage from Ephesians is so full of reassurances about God’s goodness, God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace. Saint Paul came to faith in a dramatic way – knocked off a horse, blinded by brilliant light, hearing the voice of God. God asked him to give up everything he had built his life around – the persecution of Christians. The book of Acts portrays Paul as faithful, dedicated; he responds immediately. But Paul’s writing makes me wonder how much doubt he must have struggled with, even just internally. 

But moments when we are called to faith can be much smaller. Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote about what she called her Little Way – tiny acts of faith, sacrifice, and giving control to God. It can be listening thoughtfully when someone criticizes you instead of becoming defensive, or bringing a kid’s lunch to school even though he should have remembered to pack it, or staying up late on the phone with a friend who’s going through a tough time. 

These acts of faith, big and little, simple and as scary as facing death – they are moments of letting go of our desire to be in charge and giving to God whatever we have to offer. God takes our little offerings and gives us salvation in return! The grace to live by faith, the goodness of life lived with Him, and a generous helping of mercy when we struggle. With His grace, even moments of deep grief come with peace and trust. His grace gives us the freedom to love beyond the veil.

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​Jenna Young

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