Every moment in life has the potential to be a ‘God-moment’, as Mary MacKillop reminds us: “There where you are you will find God” (1871). Perhaps the most obvious of these moments are those of birth and death. Have you ever been present at either? Personally, I have yet to witness a birth, even that of an insect or animal, but I have had the privilege of sitting with a friend as she died and holding her hand as she travelled that last journey, writes Sr Mary Cresp RSJ.

In November we remember that we are still one Body with those who have gone before us – we still hold each other’s hand; we pray with and for each other; we nurture their love in our hearts. PHOTO": Pixabay.

As we celebrate the Feast of All Souls in November, I am reminded of the fact that, in a way, I still hold the hand of those I have loved in whatever stage of the journey they happen to be after death. To this celebration I bring two basic beliefs. First, I believe in the Communion of Saints. As Christians we share the life of Christ and are made one Body with him. This union reaches beyond death into eternity. United, we are still one Body – we still hold each other’s hand; we pray with and for each other; we nurture their love in our hearts.

At the same time, we have to let go of the hand of the one who has died. In doing so we let God take that person’s hand; we yield them into whatever lies beyond. Indigenous peoples of Australia believe that if the deceased person’s name is mentioned, the spirit is called back to this world. We are dealing here with a conundrum. We accompany each other beyond the grave, yet we cannot cling to the one who has left us. In death we find life, for ‘life is changed, not ended’. Yet we mourn and grieve, because we have lost the one we love.

The second belief I bring to the feast is the knowledge of God’s mercy. Because human experience limits us, we have difficulty in understanding how justice and mercy can co-exist for those who have died but who are as yet unable to be absorbed fully into God’s glory. If we were resolving the dilemma in human society, some imagine God might give the opportunity for the barriers to be ‘purged’ away. We don’t know the manner of God’s solution. However, we do know that the workings of Love take us to solutions we can never dream of. Love will bring a person to a point where they turn their lives around. Whatever the details of how God’s mercy and justice reach those who have died, I believe in a Love that transforms.

November’s remembrance of the dead ushers us into a double feast of the Communion of Saints. On the first day we rejoice in our union with those who know the fullness of God. On the second we reach out to those who may yet anticipate that fullness, just as we do. The lives of all of us find their origin and destiny in God. Love exists into eternity, since God is Love.

This article by Sr Mary Cresp RSJ was published in the Mary MacKillop Enews by the Sisters of St Joseph.