A lion, whose presence was diminished through illness, roars no more. Those in the jungle who worshipped the lion weep; others who stalked and hunted the lion take pause. Soon the lion’s story will be told in full glory. Legend will mingle with history: assumption and hyperbole will try to obscure—diminish fact for those still trudging through unknown land. But today the jungle is silent.

God sits with the lion, granting him rest and comfort. Lost members of the pride return in greetings: brothers lost are reunited, sisters reignite sibling love, a father and mother roar their welcome loudly, so that other generations lost to the lion will rejoin the pride, if for just a moment.

God’s judgment will acknowledge all that was good and bad within the scope of the lion’s deeds, but no hunter will be allowed to stalk and kill the lion, for he is no more. The lion, tired, but thankful, perhaps wants another chance to navigate the jungle’s terrain. Maybe God will grant the lion’s wish to return. Until then, the lion’s original pride of two parents and seven siblings will rest in the eternal savanna awaiting the last of the pride to return to them. They will joke, play and cavort, only yielding to the reverence of spirituality—God.

For those who don’t believe a lion’s death can ignite imagination, for those who don’t believe God exists beyond man-made tales and superstitions, and for those who believe in the finality of death’s darkness, no compass will help navigate the jungle where the mighty lion once roamed, where Camelot once existed, and where privilege gave way to service and sacrifice.

Today the jungle is silent…. A lion roars in heaven.

photo credit: AP

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy

February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009