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Believe it: After death, comes resurrectionPosted: 10.09.09 My dear friends, I attended a magnificent event last Wednesday: a joyous procession through the streets of Wilton Manors, from Divine Mercy Haitian Mission to St. Clement Parish. It featured flatbed trucks adorned with Haitian flags and colorfully dressed parishioners bearing some very special treasures: a larger-than-life painting of Jesus’ Divine Mercy, a statue of St. Michael the Archangel, and the mission’s weighty tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament inside. Music accompanied the procession all along the two-mile route. 
ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC When the procession arrived at St. Clement, it was greeted with loud applause, a rhythmic performance by Divine Mercy’s youth drum line and waving flags held by representatives of all the different nationalities present at St. Clement. It was truly a marvelous thing to behold, a joyous witness of our faith and the cultural diversity of south Florida. And yet, it was a sad occasion: The procession marked the official merger between Divine Mercy Haitian Mission and St. Clement. There were tears in the eyes of many Haitians as they left the church they have called home for nearly two decades. 
St. Philip Neri Parish: ‘Heartbroken’ St. Luke Parish: Tears and smiles St. Cecilia ‘is alive’ at St. John the Apostle Santa Cecilia ‘está viva’ en St. John St. Joseph Haitian Mission: ‘We’ll make them feel at home’ OLPH: Goodbye old friends, hello new ones St. George Parish: ‘I give you permission to cry’ Similar scenes of sadness mixed with joy played out the weekends of Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 in nearly two dozen other parishes throughout south Florida, as churches closed and their parishioners were welcomed into their new spiritual communities. The decision to close those parishes and missions, as I have stated before, was a very difficult one. In parishes, we receive the sacraments that mark the moments of our lives: births, deaths, weddings, illnesses. It is difficult to let go of the places where those memories were made. And yet, as I told the people at St. Clement last Wednesday night, our life here on earth is a journey, a journey filled with moments of great joy and deep sadness. No journey is easy or obstacle-free. But our faith teaches us that God is always there, accompanying us on our journey as he accompanied the Israelites during their journey to the promised land. And as St. Paul asks in his Letter to the Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell people that what matters is not what happens in our lives, but our reaction to it. Do we forever mourn the loss of a job or do we move on and look for new possibilities and opportunities? Are we paralyzed by anger or fear when bad things happen to us or do we adopt a positive attitude and look forward with hope? In our faith lies our hope. If we do not believe that, our faith is in vain. If we do not believe that after passion and death comes resurrection, Jesus’ suffering is meaningless. That is what the procession from Divine Mercy to St. Clement demonstrated so vividly: After death comes resurrection. God does not abandon us. Our faith is in a living God who watches over us always and promised us eternal life. We have to trust in God’s promise. That is what those affected by the merging of their parishes must remember during these difficult moments. That is what all of us must remember at all times in the journey of our lives.
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