I'm Not Home Yet

I distinctly remember the first November after God swept me back to him.  I was reviewing the daily mass readings each night before I went to bed.  This had been a habit since August, but I was struck by the glum and gloomy readings.  I mentioned to a friend, “The reading this month have been depressing”.  I didn’t understand at the time that November is the month when the Church remembers the dead as it approaches the end of the church calendar.

 

This November, four years distant from that November, I have taken satisfaction in the readings, the masses and the church's focus on the dead.  A significant reason for this is my understanding of the Church’s regard for dead souls.  As a protestant who become Catholic in her 20’s, it is only in the past few years that I understand the teaching on Purgatory and the great need to pray for those who have gone before us. My Dominican family is teaching me about the great benefit for praying for the dead. (And the great benefit we receive from the prayers of those who are now in heaven!)

My parish priest takes special care in the preparation of the All Saints and All Souls liturgies. Envelopes with the names of those to be remembered are on the altar for the entire month, and are prayed for at each mass. The past two years, my mother and my father in law were remembered in the litany of those who had died in that calendar year during the All Souls mass. This year, a good friend, not much older than me, was remembered at the mass. I’ve sent three sympathy cards to friends who have lost parents this month and are remembering their parents during the masses.

Each year, the week of Thanksgiving, my family remembers the birthdays of our fathers, Bob Liike and Martin Holohan.  My father has been gone for more than 25 years, whereas Dave’s for 18 months.  Regardless, we don’t let Nov 24^th or 27^th go by without remembering the important influences that these good men had on us.

At the age of 55, this focus on leaving this life and moving on is more comforting than disconcerting for me.  A current popular Christian song by the group Building 429 comes to mind.  The refrain says:

All I know is I’m not home yet

This is not where I belong

Take this world and give me Jesus

This is not where I belong

No I am not home yet, but, during this month, I am happy to remember those who are on their way, or who have arrived.