For those we have lost

The loss of a loved one has played a major part of my life in recent times.

Three of my siblings and one of my nephews have all passed away over the past 17 months. No sooner did one brother die (May 2024), then another three weeks later (June 2024), followed by a third brother in April this year. My nephew’s tragic passing at age 41 was only last month.

It has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for me and my two remaining siblings.  

So, all Souls’ Day on Sunday will be a time for reflection. Celebrated on November 2 each year, it is an opportunity to pray for the souls of the faithfully departed.

The observance of All Souls’ Day has origins in early Christian traditions, where prayers and offerings were made for the dead. The formal practice was popularised in the 10th century by St Odilo of Cluny, a Benedictine abbot, who established November 2 as a day of universal prayer for the departed.

On this day, Masses and prayers are offered for our loved ones. People commemorate in different ways. Some attend Mass, visit cemeteries, light candles, or place flowers, as symbols of remembrance and eternal life.

Candles represent the light of Christ guiding souls to eternal rest, while prayers are acts of love that unite the living and the dead in spiritual communion. All Souls’ Day falls on a Sunday this year and serves as a touching reminder of life’s brevity and the enduring power of faith, love, and remembrance.

 As God told Adam, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Book of Genesis 3:19).

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