One of our great human fears is the fear of losing something or someone, or of being lost ourselves. Children fear when their parents seem far away; parents hold on tight to little hands lest they lose their children in a crowd. We check and double check to make sure we know where the house keys or the car keys are. Don’t lose that credit card or you’ll be in trouble! Keep the GPS handy in case you get lost!
How significant that we describe the death of a family member or close friend as “losing” someone. The ever present absence, the sound of the voice remembered but not really heard, the quirks and habits that were so much a part of everyday life, now gone. There is much that is lost.
On All Souls Day, consolation pours into the lost places of our hearts: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God.” (Wisdom 3:1-9) “I fear no evil for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:1-3a,3b-4, 5-6). And most poignantly, “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.”( John 6:37-40)
In the Lord, nothing, no one is lost. The precious gift of faith, the fruit of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, assures us that in him, all that is good, precious and treasured remains—for eternity. Even for those whose ending left behind “unfinished business,” our faith knows the love of God which strengthens and purifies the good and burnishes away all that gets in the way of perfect love and communion.
We should pray that this communion may be abundant and that through the gift of faith and in the sacramental life, we may be consoled and strengthened until we are fully reunited with those whom we love.
No comments:
Post a Comment