I sat on bed and prepared to pray for the souls who have left us. Life has been long. I have been richly blessed with people that matter. That is also a sign of definite great losses. The more people you love, the more people meant for you, stronger the bonds, the more you were attached, the loss would be equal in magnitude. Starting from grandparents, a long line of loved-ones-lost stretched before my mind. They were special people. Inseparables. But they have gone.
With Covid 19 restrictions, we could not even attend Mass. We never really go to the cemetery either. After all, my grandparents are no longer there. When the angel asked the ladies why they are looking for a dead body when Jesus has already risen, the point was made. Is it just an attempt to go console ourselves? The bodies of our deceased loved ones are no more. They are not buried there. But most of us feel good in visiting the graveyards. We remember our deceased souls anyway at every Mass.
To me, All Souls Day is when we remember that WE will die. Yes, our loved ones are gone and we pray for them. But do we remember that the next visit to the cemetery might be never to return? It is the impermanence of life that is the highlight of the day. As much as we pray for those who have gone before us, the bell is ringing for us. We have to remember that our chance awaits.
No, it is not to be depressed, morbid and hopeless. Instead it is to be overjoyed that this too will end. It is a matter of time and we never know how much time is left. All Souls Day is the biggest warning for us-the living. On the day we leave our earthly abode, what will I take? What will I leave, in memory of myself? All Souls Day, is my wake up call to remember that I too will conclude. My body will be abandoned. It will no longer be mine. It is unlikely to be said, “P..was laid to rest” but that the “body was buried.” We will eventually be just a memory-that too IF we are lucky. OR be an occasional memory. We WILL BE REPLACED in NO TIME. Yet, we think we are here to stay and reign FOREVER.
