Blessed Are They

The commemoration of all the souls of the faithful departed today, sets the tone for the month of November. As the grays of autumn gradually take over, a certain somberness about the cycle of life emerges. Yes, the growing season is over, frost is around the corner, and many trees are totally bare already. Stark realities, once hidden by leaves and colorful flowers, are apparent. So is the shorness of life. Yet, our faith assures us that death is not the end. It is a stage in the cycle of life; we move from this temporary phase to the eternal where our current mortality is transformed to immortality. "The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their deparure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace....their hope is full of immortality." (Wisdom 3: 1-4).
Today, as we pay special attention to our departed loved ones, we are assured that they are alive, more than ever, and are in the hands of God. We miss them, especially those whose lives in our estimation were too short, but in praying for and with them this month, we will come to the conclusion that they are truly blessed, and so are we, for we believe that we shall see them again after a brief period of separation. We read the Beatitudes at yesterday's Mass, and echoing today is the second one: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matt 5: 4). May we grow in faith and wisdom as we ponder our loved ones and our own place in the cycle of life.
Bro. Rene