Baxter doesn't like for me to leave. I try to keep it from him for as long as possible, but he has this uncanny sense of my intentions. He looks at me with, at first, a look of suspicion, and then a look of hurt and resentment. "How could you leave me behind?". When I pull out the luggage to pack, he knows it's happening. Then he tries to come along. He climbs into the bag and lies down. If I zipper it shut, he just stays inside. I guess he hopes I'll forget he's in there and take him along. When I take him from the bag and begin to put my things inside, he lodges his protests, first, with sounds of indignation, and when that doesn't stop my packing, then the cold shoulder. He refuses to look at me and sits with his back to my view. Finally, I get the sad eyes, the look that says, "I wish you wouldn't leave."
For all of his feigned independence and love of solitude, Baxter does cling to the things he loves. He stays close to his favorite sleeping pillow, his food dish and me. He doesn't like to be too far from their reassuring presence, and he regularly rubs up against these markers to reassure himself that his world is right and safe. If one of these is missing for a while, I can see his confusion, quandary and eventual sense of being lost. It's like a lifeline has broken, and he is floating in a sea of uncharted waters.
We experience the same kind of disorientation when we lose touch with the landmarks of love in our lives. The regular phone call from a friend or family member, the weekly breakfast or lunch with colleagues or neighbors, the friendly note or email or text message, these are all ways we keep in touch and know that others care. We can't just think about others. We have to touch them in some way to stay connected. We can't take for granted that they will always be there. We have to make an effort to assure others that they matter to us and we won't forget about them or let them down. While we can't cling to them if they are ever to be responsible and free adults, we stay attached by showing our interest and concern through our communications and thoughtfulness. We matter to each other not by being attached at the hip so that neither person can move without the other, but by being attached at the heart where the bonds of concern bridge distances, different circumstances, and changes in life style and obligations. Another person doesn't have to be physically present to be part of our life. He or she just has to fit in an ongoing way with what is happening to us. They are interested; they care; they help when possible; they stay in touch.
Now we have a hint to eternal life. When Jesus rose from the dead, He wasn't physically present to the disciples as he was before the crucifixion. His was a resurrected body that allowed Him to continue His relationship with them, but in a new way of being. His love never died, but it showed itself differently as the circumstances of life changed for the Lord and for His followers. Now the disciples' faith had been tested, and they were more mature in their understanding of God's ways. Jesus didn't have to hold their hands and fight their battles for them any longer. They could preach the Good News themselves and make decisions that would concretely shape their lives as the early Christian community. They spread out from ancient Israel to bring the faith to peoples of different backgrounds and cultures. They developed doctrines to summarize their beliefs, rituals to celebrate them, and rules to order their life together. They took the initiative to do all of this because the Lord was present to them with love and concern through the Holy Spirit that He sealed into their new lives. He never left them. He just moved on to risen life with them creating different marks of His presence and love in their lives.
We share this risen life in the Spirit, so we share a bond of affection that has its own marks of connection in grace. Don't take these for granted, but cultivate and nurture them. Then we will know that although we may be separated for a time, we are still part of each other's lives for all time. The communion of saints is eternal.
Baxter, I am coming home soon.
