Not far from here, there is a cemetery with a gentle slope ascending to a prominent hill. From the crest of the hill, a beautiful vista opens across the horizon from the northwest to the northeast. There are ponds, a distant church spire, and forests as far as one can see. It is a glorious view, and one can’t help but feel called to pray.
On a few occasions, I’ve walked the cemetery’s narrow roads. It is easy to be sensitive to the quiet and mindful of the loving memories. The granite stones are timeless in a way; they are monuments to faith. They give rise to an enduring hope in “the life of the world to come.”
It is God’s loving plan. He redeemed us to be with Him, to share in His glory for all eternity.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” (John 14:3)
Each November, the Church calls to mind the faithful departed. In addition to the official saints of the Church, we probably all have in our memory a communion of loved ones. Now with God, they have left us with their loving example. These individuals, in some way, great or small, shared with us their holiness. In so many ways, their faithfulness encouraged us and gave us perspective – for which we are thankful.
Reflecting on their example is an invitation to us to continue to grow in holiness. God calls us from where we are with our strengths and our frailty. I think holiness is God’s radiating, life-changing, loving embrace of our lives.
“…I have called you by name: you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus cured a blind man named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). Jesus instructed the crowd to call the blind man to Him. The crowd called out, “…Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” (Mark 10:49). Perhaps the crowd’s urging in the story is also good advice for us.
The Lord calls us to be holy in all the ways we lovingly serve His people in our families, work, and communities.
In this month of November, let our family prayer be for all those who have gone before us and for ourselves – that we may be open to the holiness to which the Lord calls us.