Why would we do this? Well for one thing, it is a part of Catholic Faith, and two we want them to be with God in heaven! I am reminded of something the late Joseph Cardinal Bernadin wrote during the final months in his battle with cancer.
It is the first day of November, and fall is giving way to winter. Soon the trees will lose the vibrant colors of their leaves and snow will cover the ground. The earth will shut down and people will race to and from their destinations bundled up for warmth….It is a time of dying. But we know that spring will soon come with its new life and wonder.
It is quite clear that I will not be alive in the spring. But I will soon experience new life in a different way. Although I do not know what to expect in the afterlife, I do know that just as God has called me to serve him to the best of my ability throughout my life on earth, he is now calling me home.
Many people ask me to tell them about heaven….I sometimes smile at the request because I know no more than they. Yet when one young man asked if I looked forward to being united with God and those who have gone before me, I made a connection to the first time I traveled with my mother and sister to my parents’ homeland in northern Italy. I felt as if I had been there before. After years of looking through my mother’s photo albums, I knew the mountains, the land, the houses, the people. As soon as we entered the valley, I said, “My God, I know this place. I am home.” Somehow I think crossing from this life into life eternal will be similar. I will be home.
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Please check below in this Newsletter for the various activities and opportunities for works of Charity, continued faith formation, and other good things going on in our Parish. But at the top, let me highlight this:
