In a short while, we will revisit remembering our loved ones in a different way than how we will today. The trumpet sounds then and now, a sorrowful lament to those who have left us. As much as death is about the one who has passed on, it is also about those who remain. In a twinkling of an eye, our loved ones are transformed, but so are we, left to carry on without them. Our hearts are freed and pierced simultaneously. We know that they have gone to a better place, but we suffer the loss in our daily lives. Death has no victory over them but death can control our minds as we try to live without them.

In the Gospel reading of John today we are told that a grain of wheat must die to bear much fruit. We can also look to the alternative reading which is from Matthew where Jesus invites all those who are weary and carrying more than we think possible to come to Him and we will receive rest. In the First Reading from Lamentations, the author admits that his “soul is deprived of peace” however holds fast to hope because he knows that the steadfast love of God never stops. These are the words that help us find stability in the shifting sands of sorrow.

All souls make a mark on this world. When we live well by serving and loving our neighbours, the grief for those who remain here is unbearable but God’s mercy allows us to find a rest that we know from no other source. Remember the souls dear to you this day and know that God is good for those who wait and seek the One who comforts and consoles. May peace be yours this day as we rest in the promise that these souls are Home.

Peace,

Suzanne