Yesterday, I reflected on the passion of Mary as she watched what was happening to her son. Today, I am thinking about…

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

This is one of the most popular prayers we have. In fact, it might be the most popular.

It’s short and sweet and has two distinct parts. The first contains lines that are taken directly from the angel Gabriel, who was the first to announce God’s divine masterplan, and then from Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who was the first to acknowledge that it was actually playing out according to that plan. 

The second part of the prayer is our intercession, our request. But what is it exactly that we’re asking for here?

What we are asking for is that she will be with us at the moment of our death. Right then and right there… at that very moment.

I recently had a chance to interview the author, Maureen Groden, about her brand new book, which is called When a Loved One is Dying. She writes of men and women who, as they approach death, find themselves wrapped in peace, filled with meaning, and held by a quiet, consoling presence.

As she mentioned this, I couldn’t help but think about our prayer to Mary and the fact that of all the things we could request in one of our most recited prayers, we ask that she accompany us during that very moment. 

Yesterday, we recalled that very moment for Christ, who loved us so much that he gave his life to save us.

Today, we recognize what happened just a few days later when a lifeless body in a tomb arose and then walked out of that tomb.

Jesus conquered death.

He absolutely crushed it. 

But what do you think that means… to conquer death? How exactly did Jesus conquer death?

Well, it surely doesn’t mean that death doesn’t exist anymore, because it still does.

And it doesn’t mean that he conquered death for himself and himself only; good luck to the rest of us.

So, what does it mean? I think it means a number of things.

First, death no longer marks the conclusion of our story. Death was a wall, but now it’s a doorway.

Second, Christ experienced it. He went through that doorway himself. There is no place we’ll ever have to go where Jesus wasn’t willing to go first.

Third, we don’t have to do this alone. He’s got our backs. And so too does his mom.

Fourth, if this is true about death, then it’s also true about despair, shame, addiction, fear, and loneliness. Easter is God’s refusal to let darkness define who we are. 

And finally, fifth, Jesus did not rise in order to come back to his old life. He came back fully transformed… and he invites us to be transformed as well.

You see… Jesus did not merely return from the dead and he didn’t simply conquer death. He changed what death actually is. He transformed the end of the story into the beginning of a brand new and glorious one.

All we need to do is to follow him there.