In many churches of the past, the parish cemetery was located right next door to the parish church. Walking to or from the doors of the church, the faithful couldn’t avoid seeing the grave markers of the faithful who had gone before them, along with statues of angels and saints which decorated the cemetery. This phenomenon made it impossible to ignore the impact that previous generations had had on the members of the parish – especially the way those generations had handed on the faith and kept the community alive and well. The various statues also gave people a hint of the glory which awaited them in the fullness of the Kingdom.
St. Leo the Great once said, “Remember, O Christian, your dignity before the Lord.” The Scriptures reinforce this notion of our dignity and encourage us to see the privileged place we have because of our faith (which, again, has been handed on to us from our ancestors). In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, St. Paul says that we share citizenship with the saints, in the company of God and the heavenly host. We are constantly encouraged, therefore, to be grateful for the precious gift of faith which our mothers, fathers, and grandparents have given us.
“Having faith,” we remember, means accepting the plans God has for us – even if we do not understand them completely and even if they are not what we might choose. But God sees everything and desires nothing but the best for us. May this Lent help us see our own God-given goodness, our possibilities, and our talents and then give us the “push” we need to make the most of them, remembering that past generations have done the very same and now share in the fulfillment of God’s presence and blessing in the joy of heaven. This year has been hard, but those who have gone before us had hard year(s), too. May their perseverance inspire us and, one day, lead us home!
“Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”
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Please pray for a successful surgery for our pastor today: “O God, grant those undergoing surgery today, including our parish priest, the joyful acceptance of the surgery which awaits them, and let it be the relief and the cure which they seek. Make skilled the work of their surgeons, nurses, and their team; it is unto their knowledge and skill that we entrust the ones we love. We pray that today’s procedures will be without complication, and that their recovery will be speedy and complete. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
