There can be little question in the hearts and minds of 38 million citizens of Poland that life, as they have known it, came to an abrupt and bitter end on the 10th of April, 2010 at 8:56 am in the fog of a military airfield near Smolensk, Russia. On that day, a horrific plane crash killed all 96 passengers on board, including the Polish presidential couple and many other top ranking government officials and statesmen.
A week of national mourning has been instated as citizens attempt to deal with what can only be described as the worst tragedy of its kind ever. Average citizens are fumbling with questions of why as they pour out onto the streets to pay homage to some of the most well-known political figures in Poland-- lives taken too abruptly for words to describe. Ironically, the victims were on their way to honor the memory of 22,000 Polish officers brutally murdered by the Russians in the forests of Katyn during World War II.
Thinking about the events of the last few days, I was reminded of a story Tolstoy wrote of a desperately sick king who, on the verge of death, gathered his council in order to hear their advice about finding a cure. At a loss for words, one of them finally proposed that if they could find a happy man they could take the shirt off his back and bring it back to the king who, upon putting it on, might regain his health. Thinking it a good idea, the king sent emissaries far and wide in search of a content and satisfied man. It soon became apparent that the king's dictate wasn't as simple as they had thought. You see, if they found a rich man, he was most likely unhealthy. If they came upon a healthy man, he was most likely poor. If they met a rich and healthy man, it seemed that he had a difficult wife or unruly children. Finally, one night the king's own son was passing by a poor little hut when he heard: "Now, God be praised, I have finished my work, I have eaten my fill, and I can lie down and sleep! What more could I want?" Rejoicing at his good luck, the son sent men to get the shirt of an obviously satisfied man. Upon opening the door, they were surprised to find that the happy man was so poor that he had no shirt at all. (Fables & Fairy Tales, Leo Tolstoy)
It seems that an inordinate amount of our time is spent searching for a cure to a sickness we can't even really grasp. In times of great loss and seemingly senseless death, we are reminded of our search to find a cure or a 'shirt' to cover our terribly fragile lives.
Paul, no stranger to death and hardship, gathered his thoughts and wrote about the mystery of life's end this way:
"For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." Not wanting his Corinthian hearers to wander, he repeats himself making his point only too clear. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true; "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
Easter, in all her incredulity and foolishness, comes as Paul's answer to man's greatest sickness--the grave. Death, swallowed up in the victory of Christ's rising from the grave stands as an event that, if true, changes everything about life as we know it. The search for a shirt that will 'clothe' us in immortality speaks loudly and clearly in the middle of the tragedy that at present lies heavy on the hearts of Polish citizens.
It is our hope that the reality of the resurrection will provide real and lasting comfort for so many touched by the loss of the last few days. It is our hope that working with PROeM (name of their ministry) in creating a context for educating, loving, and encouraging children and their parents will ultimately change the face of Poland.
Thank you for your continued prayers and notes of solidarity on behalf of the 38 million Polish citizens dealing with such a terrible tragedy.
With hope,
John and Zaba