Every year on this date, people all over the world gather to remember and pray for those of our families and friends who have gone before us to the heavenly banquet. This day, known in the Church as the Commemoration of all the Faithfully Departed, provides an opportunity for the Church to gather in our cemeteries to pray for those of our families and friends who have preceded us to our eternal homeland.
Tonight, I was privileged to lead a short liturgy of the Word in the Catholic Cemetery in this city. Following the recitation of the gospel, I shared the following homily with those who were present.
Dear friends,
We are here in this mausoleum tonight to remember our brothers and sisters who have died during this past year. We come also to pray for them and for ourselves. In the gospel passage we have just heard, Saint John reminds us that whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life (Jn 5:24). God does not ask us to do difficult things – only to listen to his word, and to believe.
Nous pouvons facilement écouter la parole qui nous est adressée. Nos oreilles nous permettent d’entendre cette bonne nouvelle, mais parfois, il est plus difficile pour nous d’acceuillir cette bonne nouvelle au fond de notre coeur. Si nous avons de la difficulté à cet égard, il suffit d’écouter la parole qui nous est adressée par l’apôtre Paul: ni mort, ni vie, ni anges, ni principautés, ni présent, ni avenir, ni puissances, ni hauteur, ni profondeur, ni aucune autre créature ne pourra nous séparer de l’amour de Dieu … (Rom 8:38)
We can easily hear the word that is offered. Our ears allow us to hear this good news, but sometimes it is more difficult for us to believe this good news in the depth of our hearts. If we have difficulty, we need only to listen to the word that is offered by the apostle Paul: neither death nor life, no angel, no principality, neither present nor future, nor strength nor height nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God … (Rom 8:38)
No person, no created thing can ever separate us from the love of God: a love that has existed from the moment of our conception; a love that promises a banquet of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines (Is 25:6); a love that reassures us that when we must be separated from those we love, when we can no longer listen to their voices or speak with them or hold them, the Lord will wipe away the tears from our faces (Is 25:8) and fill us with the joy of knowing that those who are no longer among us are resting in his presence.
Sapiamo che sono seduti ora al banchetto eterno con il Padre; però ciò non toglie il dolore che a volte proviamo nei nostril cuori, oppure il vuoto che sentiamo nel buio della notte, tuttavia ci conforta sapere che egli hanno compiuto il loro viaggio e che vegliano su di noi con amore.
Knowing that they are now sitting at the banquet table with the Father doesn’t take away the ache that can sometimes be felt in our hearts, or the emptiness that we feel in the dark of night, but it brings us some comfort to know that they have completed their journeys and that they look down upon us with love.
Let us pause now and in a moment of silence, entrust our loved ones into the arms of our loving God. Let us also ask our God to stay close to us who mourn, to help us to walk in faith so that we too can tell others that we have felt the presence of the Lord in our time of need, and that we look forward to the day when we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Tonight, I was privileged to lead a short liturgy of the Word in the Catholic Cemetery in this city. Following the recitation of the gospel, I shared the following homily with those who were present.
Reflection prepared for the Prayer Service
commemorating the faithful departed
Dear friends,
We are here in this mausoleum tonight to remember our brothers and sisters who have died during this past year. We come also to pray for them and for ourselves. In the gospel passage we have just heard, Saint John reminds us that whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life (Jn 5:24). God does not ask us to do difficult things – only to listen to his word, and to believe.
Nous pouvons facilement écouter la parole qui nous est adressée. Nos oreilles nous permettent d’entendre cette bonne nouvelle, mais parfois, il est plus difficile pour nous d’acceuillir cette bonne nouvelle au fond de notre coeur. Si nous avons de la difficulté à cet égard, il suffit d’écouter la parole qui nous est adressée par l’apôtre Paul: ni mort, ni vie, ni anges, ni principautés, ni présent, ni avenir, ni puissances, ni hauteur, ni profondeur, ni aucune autre créature ne pourra nous séparer de l’amour de Dieu … (Rom 8:38)
We can easily hear the word that is offered. Our ears allow us to hear this good news, but sometimes it is more difficult for us to believe this good news in the depth of our hearts. If we have difficulty, we need only to listen to the word that is offered by the apostle Paul: neither death nor life, no angel, no principality, neither present nor future, nor strength nor height nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God … (Rom 8:38)
No person, no created thing can ever separate us from the love of God: a love that has existed from the moment of our conception; a love that promises a banquet of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines (Is 25:6); a love that reassures us that when we must be separated from those we love, when we can no longer listen to their voices or speak with them or hold them, the Lord will wipe away the tears from our faces (Is 25:8) and fill us with the joy of knowing that those who are no longer among us are resting in his presence.
Sapiamo che sono seduti ora al banchetto eterno con il Padre; però ciò non toglie il dolore che a volte proviamo nei nostril cuori, oppure il vuoto che sentiamo nel buio della notte, tuttavia ci conforta sapere che egli hanno compiuto il loro viaggio e che vegliano su di noi con amore.
Knowing that they are now sitting at the banquet table with the Father doesn’t take away the ache that can sometimes be felt in our hearts, or the emptiness that we feel in the dark of night, but it brings us some comfort to know that they have completed their journeys and that they look down upon us with love.
Let us pause now and in a moment of silence, entrust our loved ones into the arms of our loving God. Let us also ask our God to stay close to us who mourn, to help us to walk in faith so that we too can tell others that we have felt the presence of the Lord in our time of need, and that we look forward to the day when we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
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