MARIA MIRAVALLE

November is the month when we remember the souls of “the faithful departed.” Christians do not refer to them as the “faithful lost” or the “faithful no more.” Those who have died, we do not consider lost, but departed … to a far, far more beautiful country.

Arguably one of the most beautiful, poetic descriptions of what we can hope for, both for ourselves and our loved ones who have died, is the verse from 1 Corinthians: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what things God has prepared for those that love Him.” Nothing we have seen is beautiful enough, nothing we have heard is heavenly enough, nothing we have loved is captivating and consuming enough, to give us an idea of what God has waiting for us at the end of this life.

November is the month when we remember the souls of “the faithful departed.” Christians do not refer to them as the “faithful lost” or the “faithful no more.” Those who have died, we do not consider lost, but departed … to a far, far more beautiful country.

During this time of year, when the leaves have changed colors and then fall, we get a taste of that bittersweet reality that everything in this life changes. Sometimes we grieve for the sake of those who have “departed” that they are missing out on family experiences and the good things this life has to offer and that they could have still had if they were here. In all realism, neither we nor they will feel deprived or a sense of loss at what we leave behind here.

There was a man who fell while mountain climbing, and he was initially pronounced dead. While medics and the rescue squad worked on him, he had a near death experience where he tasted some of the beauty, love and light of the next life. He said that after that, even when he would be out on the mountains and see a sunrise of incredible majesty and beauty, he felt it was comparable to a cartoon … such was the exquisite reality of what comes after this life. So when life here seems heavy, tiresome and dark, lets give our souls a moment of rest as we ponder what “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared…”

Maria Miravalle is the Spiritual Care Coordinator at Cornerstone of Hope’s Cleveland Location.