Through The Veil

My family moved from Illinois to Texas as I was beginning eighth grade and then a half-dozen times again before my high school graduation. As an adult, I moved from Louisiana to Utah, back to Louisiana and again to Utah, and then to Florida. I finally settled in Florida for 30 years, but Trudy and I recently moved to New York. With every move, I have been able to stay in touch with old friends, a more manageable task with today’s tech than it was 40 years ago.

But sometimes, something like moving from Illinois to Texas can be traumatic and feel like a permanent end. I remember telling my friends, “I’m just moving, not dying! I’ll come back to visit!”

I imagine before the crucifixion, Jesus said something similar to the disciples, his friends, and family because he knew that death is merely a portal to another life.

I realize it’s easier to visit a different state than a different state of being, the way Jesus seems to alternate between this life and beyond in the various Gospel’s resurrection passages. We might not be able to Zoom with our loved ones who have moved beyond the veil as easily as with friends who’ve moved to Louisiana (yet), but Jesus’ resurrection appearances (as well as reams of contemporary quantum physics research) indicate the idea isn’t that far-fetched.