Isa 25:6-9 / Rom 5:5-11 / Mt 11:25-30
One of the most emotionally charged occasions that we often come across would be at a funeral.
The death of a person, and more so a loved one, is usually accompanied with grief and sorrow and tears.
Words of condolences are few and short because no amount of words, no matter how profound can bring a dead person back to life.
And if words are to be used, then they must be carefully chosen and it is certainly not a time to take the matter lightly or make a joke out of it. But things can go wrong, unintentionally of course.
Like this one about the florist’s mistake. On opening his new shop, the owner received a bouquet of flowers. He became dismayed on reading the enclosed card because it read “Deepest Condolences”.
While he was wondering about the message, his phone rang. It was from the florist, apologizing for having sent the wrong card.
“Oh, it’s alright,” said the man. “I am a businessman and I understand how these things can happen.”
The florist said, “But I accidentally sent your card to the funeral wake.”
The man asked, “Oh! What did it say?”
The florist replied, “Congratulations on your new location.”
Certainly it was an awkward mistake, unintentional and no one would be laughing at it.
Nonetheless, it may reflect in a certain way, our hope for a departed loved one.
We hope and we pray that our departed loved ones would be in heaven and enjoy eternal rest, and are at peace.
As we would often hear at funeral wakes – he/she is in a better place, a better location, so to speak.
And that’s the purpose of coming for Mass on All Souls Day. We pray that God will grant our departed loved ones eternal rest in His presence.
But things may not be as simple as we would like it to be, as in that when we die we will go straight to heaven.
Because the reality is that as in life, so it is in death.
We who live in this world would know how much we can be attached to this world.
We are attached not just to things but more so to our loved ones and to the relationships that we have built in this world.
Even at our last breath, we may not want to let go easily of our life and detach ourselves from our loved ones.
Even though the Lord of life is calling us to the eternal light, we can’t help but keep glancing at the lights of this world that we have shared with our loved ones.
My father passed away in June, just three months before he could celebrate the diamond wedding anniversary with my mum and the family.
He had hoped and talked about it before his death but he didn’t get to live to celebrate it.
Although he died peacefully, we also know that he had some earthly hopes that could not be fulfilled.
And so this year’s All Souls Day is especially meaningful for my family and me as we pray that my father will rest in peace.
Similarly, you too have come to pray for your departed loved ones that they will rest in peace.
As the Church teaches us, “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation. But after death, they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
Yes, we must pray for our departed loved ones, as well as for those who are forgotten or who have no one to pray for them.
More than just moving to a “new location”, we pray that they will see the eternal light and set on a new direction, a direction towards the God of life who will give them eternal rest.
And even as we pray, may we even while on earth, set our direction towards God and find life and love, peace and joy.