Finally a big
break! Well, it’s not really big, but a one day
vacation leave next to weekend is a bliss and I should use this gift of
time to update. Yeah! The truth is, a lot have happened since the last time I
posted, but I don’t really have the energy to tell all of them. There were
really dark days but I've moved on, we've all moved on and now it’s time to
enjoy and celebrate life again.
But today, I want
to talk about something timely. We just celebrated All Saints day (Nov.1) and
All Souls day (Nov.2). For non-Christians out there, these are day we pay homage to the faithful departed. All Saints day is for the purified souls who are now in
heaven. All Souls Day is exclusively for the souls who are in Purgatory,
spending time to cleanse and purify themselves, perhaps atoning for the sins they've committed when they were still living. Hell is out of the picture here, it’s a
place for pure evil. Here in the Philippines, Catholics observe a joint
celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day in November 1 by going to the
cemetery, bringing in flowers, lightning a candle and offering prayers. For me
(and perhaps some), it has also become a subtle excuse for families to get
together.
Praying for the
dead is a moral obligation of Christians. One way to help the souls in
Purgatory purify is through prayers. It’s an obligation that I am more than
willing to commit because it’s my way of telling to the dead loved ones that I
have not forgotten them. I will never forget. I think that it’s very important for
us who are still here to keep on remembering. I believe in life after death and
I will be very sad if I would see the people I've loved forget about me. So I’d
like to take this moment to think about those I love who have crossed over to the next life, specially my
grandparents. Nanay, Tatay, I dearly miss you…
Eternal rest grant
unto them, o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of
the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
