Scripture: Song of Solomon 8:6 – “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.” (NRSVue)
People have short memories. For example, a few years ago, there was a superhero show called WandaVision, which is primarily about grief. The reality-warping superhero Wanda has transformed a small town into echoes of sitcoms from decades past, trying to create the perfect domestic life after her true love, the synthezoid Vision, died in a battle to save the world. Eventually, Wanda realizes the folly of her ways and is comforted by a rebuilt version of Vision (superhero shows are weird). This Vision says something that really resonated with people: “But what is grief, if not love persevering?”
Many found this line to be profound, but it is an expression of an ancient idea. People have short memories and people have short lives. What we accomplish and what we create will ultimately be forgotten. After a hundred years or so, we are going to pass out of living memory and be nothing but a name on a genealogy or a set of records. So, what perseveres through this inevitability?
The answer of most religious people is the soul. The soul continues into an afterlife, usually presented as a place of joy and peace. Our souls are what Jesus died to save. But the soul can be difficult to define. It is not just our consciousness or memories. One way to describe the soul is a representation of our love. Our souls are created by God’s love, show God’s love during our lives, and finally return to God’s love. Our souls bring a love to the world while we are here, a love that, despite all the cruelty and sadness, will endure beyond us.
And this love, even if the details are forgotten, endures because it creates life and hope in the world. The forces of death remind us that nothing we love—not people, places, objects, or even ideas—will last forever. But the forces of love persevere in the face of this, and bring meaning, happiness, and peace that ultimately cannot be overcome by the inevitability of time.
Think about someone or something you have lost. Think about how many of the details about them fade with time. Now think about what endures in your memory and what continues to shape your life. Think of the love that has persevered through it all. And give thanks to God for bringing their love into the world, comforting you in your loss, and promising you a future of endless love in the world to come.
Prayer: God, I may forget a lot of things, but I cannot forget love. Amen.
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