Love Never Dies
November 2013
The passing of a loved one into eternity is always a very difficult process for those who remain in this temporal world. We know everyone must die, but no matter how well prepared we might feel we are, we are bound to experience a sense of loss. Our hopes, dreams, expectations, anticipations, and even life as we have known it appear to cease. We will no longer enjoy the same experiences with our beloved. Our future has been changed. We will miss being in our loved one’s presence and sharing our life with that person in the same manner we have grown accustomed to. Yet, it is important to remember: The very experience of not having the physical presence of our loved one makes our minds and hearts turn to the eternal Word of God.
Our faith reminds us that our hope is in Jesus Christ, the one risen from the dead. God loves us. God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten Son for us so that we might have an opportunity for salvation. That salvation is our escape from eternal death and separation from God. Instead, by the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been given the grace to have eternal life in the beatific vision of the Divine.
Similar to the way in which we yearn to be in the presence of our beloved, God desires us to be eternally in his presence—we are the beloved children of God. And just as the resurrection of the one true Son of God proves God’s love for his Son, that same love extends to all of God’s beloved children throughout the world. The resurrection proves that love can never die; love gives life, and the love of God gives eternal life to those who accept God’s gift of love and live according to the law of love written on our hearts.
This month is a time to share God’s love.The bonds of unity and charity that are formed as we pray for those we love—both the living and the dead—will continue to strengthen relationships that will last into eternity. As we attend the celebration of the holy Eucharist, may we be reminded that we are witnesses to the love of God and the hope that is our calling. Let us console one another with thepromise of eternal life and the fact that all of the heavenly kingdom will be praying for us to join them at the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ. We should recognize that at every Eucharist, we are in the presence of the entire heavenly realm—Mary, the angels, the saints, and all the faithful. May we hold the hope of heaven in our hearts, and may this consolation bring us a peace that the world can never disturb.