John 6: 37-40
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Hope in the Midst of Grief
My grandfather died on All Souls' Day, more than twenty years ago. He was 102. In his later years, he joked that God forgot about him. After more than a century of living, he had good reason to wonder what was taking so long.
In today's Gospel, Jesus assures us that God does NOT forget about us. He promises that he will not lose anyone the Father entrusts to him and he will raise all who believe on the last day. Not even death can separate us from God's love.
We need this promise when someone we love dies. We miss them. We wish for one more conversation, one more afternoon together, one more walk through the pasture. Years pass, but there are still moments when their absence hurts as much as it ever did. Faith doesn't take away our grief, but it gives us reason to hope in the midst of it.
On All Souls' Day, we remember and pray for those who have died. Our hope in the resurrection assures us that God has not forgotten us, death is not the end, and one day, we will be reunited with those we love.
—Jackie Schulte is the Head of School and Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Amen.
—Traditional prayer