‘Don't be afraid; just have faith’
When I go to my hometown, one of the first things I do is visit my mother's grave near the parish church. A large branch of the Flame of the Forest arches over her grave. The last time I was there, the tree had dropped flowers on the grave. As I stood there in sadness and prayer, my mother's sister Magdalene seemed keen on wiping the withered flowers away. I thought to myself, "How appropriate for the tree to shower flowers on the dear departed! How true our lives fall like these flowers from the tree!" Those wilted flowers whispered the truth about life, death--and immortality. Though plunged in a renewed sense of loss and grief, I always come away a better person from my mother's grave.
When we mourn our dear departed, we know in the depths of our being that death cannot be the end of life. We loved them, they loved us--and we continue to love. How can love die? God is love, love is God. God is eternal. Ergo, love is everlasting. True, those who have died have been removed from our physical realm but they cannot be banished from our hearts and minds. We hold them sacred in our memories. They will always be part of our life because we are made for love out of love by Love and cannot be lost. The Spirit of God Himself mingles with our breath. We carry in our genes the makings of God Himself. How could our lives end with death?
Highlighting these insights, the Book of Wisdom shows that God intends his creation to thrive and flourish: "God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living." All creatures are made "wholesome" without "a destructive drug among them." As for human beings, God has formed them "imperishable" because we are made in His "own nature." This is truly awesome. We cannot die because we are made in God's own image and likeness. Besides, we are God's children. If God is eternal, His children ought to share His immortality.
By Father Charles Puthota, Ph.D.
From June 26, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco
