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Jesus said to the crowds: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me."
On this day, and for the past twenty years, I have gone to the cemetery to visit and pray for the dead. As morbid as this may sound, it has been a blessing in my life.
An appreciation for life and death. On this day, I reflect on the meaning of life and death. I truly appreciate both events. I walk over to a site and take a close look at the dates that appear on the tombstone. I calculate their age. While some lived very short lives, others lived a lifetime. I take notice of when they were born, but also when they died, and I think about the events that have passed since their departure. I wonder what they would think of it all.
For me, death has always been an outstanding "proof" of an intelligent beings existence. It is definitely by design, for it is independent of all human considerations. Death ignores wealth and power. It is indiscriminate: it takes us all, and often by surprise. Death is very practical. It is the great grinding mill. It reduces all of us to dust and into a memory. Its purpose is two fold: it nudges us along to get something done, and it remind us to be grateful of others, before we/they are gone.
Of course not everyone heeds the warnings. For this reason we pray for them today.
Unlike so many things in life, with life we have one chance to live it. We can't keep trying over and over again, even if most of us would be much better at it if we had another chance at it. Nope, there is only a certain amount of time to do it, and then it is time to say goodbye. We all have jobs to do: some are short, some are long, some are known by many, some are known only by God. But God knows them all!
Of course not all these jobs were according to the Lord's Will. Some of our departed brothers and sisters may have lived for years in conflict with their very own conscience. For this reason, we pray for them today.
What will our prayers do for them? God loves those who imitate Him. The Lord helped everyone, even those who did not know Him or believe in Him. He helped whenever and wherever he could. Today, go visit a cemetery and leave some flowers and prayers at someone's tomb. You will be showing your love for them in the only way you can and in the only place you can.
Believe me, that will be worth more than you could ever imagine. It will do you and that person a lot of good.
P.S. Take your children with you, it will do them a lot a good as well.
I love visiting old cemeteries, especially in historical cities. I make it a quest to find the oldest tombstone in the grave yard. I'm sad when I come across an infant or child's grave. I wonder how he or she died. There's something so peaceful and serene about walking among the graves and praying for lost loved ones.
ReplyDeleteAll Souls Day always conjures up the idea of purgatory. When I visit a cemetery, I wonder how many of the souls buried are still being "cleansed and purified" and how many made it to heaven? I smile thinking the precious children went straight to heaven, jumping into Jesus' arms!
Another poem I thought of while meditating this morning:
Pray for the souls of the faithful departed;
Who may be in a state of purgatory;
God is cleansing and purging them;
In preparation for eternity.
Cherubims and Seraphims welcome the chosen;
Our loved ones, friends, and acquaintances;
Yes, they made it to heaven;
But only with the Lord's purifying graces.
A purified heart is what God yearns for;
In his departed souls;
And those who pray for them;
He blesses forever more.
Always remember the souls who died this year and the next;
They will be missed but always at eternal rest.
Blessings,
-Jennifer
….In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do…
ReplyDeleteI can truly raise the moral temperature of this world by one millionth of a degree if I love Jesus Alone, but at least I am doing all I can to raise it. I realize that we all have a part, an immense power, in our collective morality. If I don’t do my work, I can’t expect others to do theirs. I must leave this world better – morally - than when I came into it. How can I pray to God to help my husband and kids and all my loved ones with their struggles when I am not doing my part?
About 20 years ago I heard someone say, “No matter what you do, you are hurting someone.” I have since tried to see if that is true. For the most part, it is true in my life. So I have learned the hard way that I can love no human being more than I love Jesus Christ. I can only love Jesus in them which will keep all my motives holy. But precisely because I see Jesus in them, I will continue to love them without condition. It will just have to be in a different way, even if they do not understand me.
I can see more clearly every day that I have only one Spouse, Jesus forsaken. I continue to pray for a passion for His Passion. It’s not an easy thing for me, but I know that in the end, this is the only way I can live an honest life. It is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
Thank you Father for all that you do for Christ.