Beloveds,
When those we love leave this earthly plane, it is discombobulating.
Swiss American psychiatrist and pioneer of studies on dying people, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote On Death and Dying, the 1969 book in which she proposed the patient-focused, death-adjustment pattern: the “Five Stages of Grief.” Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This is also applied to those left behind.
The stages may also be applied to post-mortem grieving. Many like to think of it as a linear progression, but – in my experience – it’s more like bouncing a superball in a polygon. Which side and how many times are indeterminate.
With the disciples, we have journeyed through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And now we witness the Ascension – an acknowledgment. A final letting go and moving on. Moving on to more questions like “What’s next?” or “What do we do now?”
I look forward to looking at Acts 1:1-11 this Sunday at 10 am at 1130 Balclutha and on Zoom.
Tell a friend!
Rev. Michael Cronin
