What a somber day it is when the ones we love are no longer with us. Even if, within our hearts, we find great hope in the resurrection, it is still bittersweet: the emptiness that is left in the spaces their presence is no more. However, when Jesus rose to heaven, and the disciples knew his return would not happen again in their time, they rejoiced. They continued to gather, instead of turn into their grief, and they went to the temple filled with joy and praised God. Why? I believe, for the same reason, Jesus took them to Bethany to be the place from which he rose. This was the heartbeat of heaven, and the disciples then knew they were a part of that.
Photo by Alex Dawson