A few days ago, a friend of mine was talking about work and she asked me, “When someone is gone, do we miss them or do you miss them?  I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say, wow, I’m so glad you’re back,” she went on to say, “unless I was doing their work while they were gone”.    I stopped to think about that for minute, and wondered if people miss me when I’m gone from work or are they just really glad I’m gone, as they can just chill out while the boss is away!  Or if they do miss someone, do they just miss the fact that they weren’t there to help get the work done and they had to do more work while they were gone.

As I let her question roll around in my head, I was reminded of a talk I once heard on a retreat.  The presenter was speaking about sacraments and sacramental moments.  He commented that we can have sacramental moments with each other and as such be sacrament to one another.  He went on to say that he wanted people to mourn him when he died, and to miss him when he was gone.  He was referring to the fact that he hoped he had more than a “doing your job”, relationship with people.  He thought it important to have sacramental moments with people if we were really making a difference in the world and acting on Christ’s behalf.  As I remembered him describing this, I was caught off guard the same way that I was today about this idea of being missed.

As we come to the end of the Easter season and Christ’s ascension into heaven, I wonder if the apostles missed Christ and mourned his death?  Did they have a relationship with Christ beyond being fishermen?   We hear so often that we need to be deepening our relationship with Christ, growing in our relationship with Christ or strengthening our relationship with Christ.  And yet, I hear so many people say, “I don’t know what that means.”  I have heard speakers say we need to void ourselves of this world and become less attached to the things of this world. This will in turn help us to deepen our relationship with Christ and lead us to closeness with Christ.

God sent Christ, his only Son, to show us how to be in relationship with Him and with others.  For me, my relationship with Christ will in turn lead me to the Father which hopefully will lead me to choose to act in His ways.   God has told us that he knew us before we were born and following our birth we are on a continual path of getting to know God, just as we get to know our parents who knew us before we were born.  But many times this path of continual growth and seeking of getting to know God is side tracked, forgotten or various other things come in the way of my getting to know God.  This could also be true of my getting to know others in the world.  I become busy, distracted, focused on other things and I forget to get to know people or even care about them, so why would they miss me when I often don’t even acknowledge their being. Doesn’t sound a lot like the way Christ lived His life here on earth.

As John 17 tells us, Christ was in this world but wasn’t of this world.  I should be here in this world to make a difference, a positive difference, a Christ like difference.  In this world I experience all the things in this world – pain, death, joy, loss, hurt, difficulties, and friendship.

When I am not of this world, I am focusing on Christ, asking for His help and guidance to move through the difficulties and joys. That is how I come to know Christ and deepened my relationship.  I am reaching out to another world for guidance, love, support and acceptance as I move through the events of being in this world.  When I experience any of these worldly experiences, God is there, just like Christ knew God was with Him when they mocked Him, betrayed Him and when they celebrated Him.  And yes, Christ also asked God, just like I do, if possible, can you take this cup from me.  But Christ knew, just like I do, that these things are all only temporary and all part of living life here on earth.  But with God, all things are possible.

What we read from scripture is that the apostles did indeed miss Christ and mourn his death.  So much so, that they hid for several days, afraid to venture out without Him.  It wasn’t until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent to be with them, that they felt able to go out amongst the crowds.   If I’m working towards knowing all I can know about Christ, I should be able to be Christ to others when they need help in their lives, just like the apostles after Christ’s departure from earth.  Where am I in all of those life situations?  Books have been written on the memories of Christ and how he impacted the apostles and all those who came close to Him. He even had Peter walking on water!  I would say that’s making yourself pretty memorable.

When difficulties come, they are part of life just as they were for Christ.  I move through them with God at my side to guide and support me.  I remember when we went to visit the site of Fr. Padre Pio how I was struck by all that he had accomplished while yet he struggled with his health each and every day.   Struggled with disbelief by others and at one point, even his own Catholic Church abandoned him.  But yet, he continued to make himself memorable even to the point where he told others, “I will be louder in death than I am in life.”  If you’ve read about his life and all that’s happened since his death, he truly was prophetic in that statement.

I remember a couple of years ago, how I continually heard this song on the radio, “You’re gonna  miss me when I’m gone”.  I didn’t really think about it in the context of living the Christian experience but when I heard my friend ask,” if we miss people when they’re gone,” I soon started to gain a whole new perceptive regarding the words to this song and how I need to live my life – in this world, but not of this world so that others will miss me when I’m gone and mourn my death.

You’re gonna Miss Me When I’m gone…..