We will rejoice…even in our darkest moments, there will be happiness! Easier said than to believe, right?  Am I like the disciples, not understanding what Jesus was saying to them?  

I recently lost a friend due to cancer.  She was a beautiful, young, intelligent woman.  She was a wife who was very caring for her husband, she was a mother to four young children who love and miss her dearly.  Her death was heart-breaking to many of us.  Will there be joy after this grief?  

As I walked into church, I saw her family strong and together with big smiles.  They shared their thoughts about her life as we celebrated together.  They knew Carol was with God.  Their faith reminded me of what Jesus said to his disciples, “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”

—Cecilia Hernandez works in the Vocations Office for the Midwest Jesuits.