Healing Sorrow

“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” St. Thomas More

It was a strange week. I knew my dad’s health was going down and we were preparing ourselves for what was coming. He was a good man and I often remember the road trips we would take and pray the rosary along the way. He never missed mass. Word came early that morning that ‘we lost our dad.’ How does one react to such news? Within a half of an hour, I got a phone call from my friends who were visiting Lourdes. They asked what I needed in prayer. I told them, pray for my dad. It was a special phone call at a time when I needed it. These are signs and I want to be aware of what God sends to me each moment. There is no such thing as coincidence.

“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” St. Mother Teresa

Funerals are not meant to be ‘fun.’. However, the funeral was far from my home. Friends traveled three and half hours to attend the mass. They stayed with me, and they were a sign for me and my mom. I hope they will be a sign for my family. Calls came in from all over the world to accompany me. These are signs again. I know my Saviour lives so I know I am sure my dad is with Christ. I would hear often from my friends in the Catholic Movement, Communion and Liberation, that being together as a community is only a small taste of what heaven would be. My dad is seeing that joy now.

“You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” Ste. Therese of Lisieux

I thought often of the homily during the funeral mass. Death reminds us that we are finite. We have a beginning and an ending. God does not. It is in this that we remember that Christ is really the rock in my life. I was honoured to do a reading during the mass. It is not something to be taken lightly. We are proclaiming God’s word. It must be done with joy and reverence, not as a chore. During the homily, the priest spoke about how a book on the theology of death doesn’t sell because no one wants to read about it. In this society, there are distractions everywhere. I want my gaze fixed on Christ.

“All our sanctity and perfection consist in conforming ourselves to the will of God, which is the sole and supreme rule of perfection and of holiness.” Blessed Alfons Maria Mazurek

Sometimes, at funerals, not everyone is a regular mass-goer. We need to be reminded that we cannot limit the mercy of our Lord, nor should we limit the power of the Holy Spirit. He can work wonders without us standing in his way. I need to remember that. It is in these moments in our lives that we need to be reminded of this. Only through a friendship, rooted in Christ, can we understand that Christ really is the Alpha and the Omega. I need to recognize the greatness of our Lord and his mercy. I get afraid very often even though I like to think I am a person of faith. I cannot think I have it all figured out. Then I remember the words of a great saint:

“Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands, and let yourself be guided by the Lord, just like a little child.” St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross