Homily for All Souls Day, 2013

Let us entrust our loved ones to God looking forward to our reunion in Christ! 

In early 1984 my Father was told that his prostate cancer had returned.  Five or so years prior he had been treated with radiation but this time it did not respond to treatment and grew rapidly. 

I was in New Orleans doing my Novice year for the order of priests and brothers I had joined.  I returned home for a summer break and we all braced ourselves for the inevitable. 

Complications with his kidneys put my dad in the hospital sooner than expected and at 2:00 one morning we received a call from the nursing station that we should come.  When we arrived he was already unconscious.  We prayed together, spoke to him and waited.  After about a half-hour he passed. We sat there in silence for a few moments, not shocked but overcome by the sacredness of the moment.  Strange as it may sound, I have never since felt so close to God or sure of God’s unending love! 

I am sure that most of us have similar stories to tell about family and friends.  Today we take time to both entrust our loved one into God’s care and remind ourselves of the promises we have in Jesus the Christ. 

As we just heard from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, all who belong to Christ will rise and we shall be reunited with them as we are united with Christ.  That is to say, our friends and family, who have gone before us await our reunion in Christ with the same hope as we do. 

In Jesus, especially in the Eucharist we are still united with our departed loved ones.  The spiritual bonds of love and friendship cannot be broken.  In Christ all are still one!  This is an important part of what we celebrate today.  Not just that all the faithful departed are with God and the Saints; but, that we remained spiritually united through Christ even while we are separated by death.  We can still pray for them and they for us. 

This does not necessarily make our feeling of loss go away.  Today, it is also very appropriately to ask for the healing we need in this life.  That sense of loss at the passing of friends and family hurts.  But it is not insurmountable.  God’s grace does heal us and empower us to enjoy our happy memories as we look forward to that Divine reunion! 

Today let us pray for our departed loved ones and for ourselves, trusting in God’s almighty love!