Life and Loss

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

I am thinking of a building. On Saturday, July 11, the Palace of Auburn Hills was imploded with explosives. As far as I know, this arena was still in fine shape for basketball, concerts, and other events. But it was considered unneeded in its location. And so it was destroyed. Some people on the radio spoke of this with sadness as they recalled many happy hours in that building, especially when the Detroit Pistons were having good seasons.

We can say that was “just a building.” Yes it was, but this event can mirror our dealing with loss. Many of you have suffered much more important losses in this year: family members, relatives, friends. You may have lost a job or possessions. This is part of thehuman journey. Things change. People and things are taken from us. It is the repetition over and over of the Paschal Mystery: the life, suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus. This pattern repeats in our lives and reminds us that we have here “no lasting city,” as it says in the Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 13:14).

The comings and goings, the gains and losses of life call us back again and again to the present moment. We recall the past, we look to the future. We may get tired of hearing it, but we are called back to the present moment, where we live. In all our thoughts and feelings, we open ourselves to the presence of God and the love of our neighbor.