Christ is the only cure to death

Several years ago I was speaking with a clergy friend about hospital ministry. He had a parishioner who was a well known oncologist who said once, “We’re lucky if we save one out of ten patients we see.” My clergy friend answered, “I’ve got news for you. You haven’t saved ANY. They all still die.”

When it comes to our earthly journey through the paths of pain and suffering, we expend a great deal of energy avoiding death. As Americans we spend billions of dollars in the last month of life attempting at all costs (sometimes quite literally) to find the last minute cure to what ails us. Our American political environment has been consumed with discussion about healthcare in recent years, mainly to address the skyrocketing cost to families. Most of this conversation focuses on terminal cases such as cancer treatments and organ transplants etc. At times it seems we will spend anything to avoid death.

Death has been a part of life since Adam and Eve first left the protection of the Garden. We read about that two weeks ago. Today we hear that Noah was SIX HUNDRED years old when the flood came, and he lived longer after the flood. Noah (just like every patient of my friend’s doctor) eventually died at the age of 950. Some today don’t really believe the numbers given in the Holy Scriptures, and quite frankly I don’t think it really matters. The point I wish to make today is that no matter what you do, you will eventually die.

The only cure for death is a relationship with Christ. Christ came that we might have life. He didn’t come for us to enjoy THIS life, but that we could have eternal life with Him. The life we live now is to prepare us for that life with Him. Take some time today to evaluate your relationship with Christ and His Church. Are you expending energy on avoiding pain and suffering, or are you expending energy preparing your soul to be with Christ? The Great Fast is our annual reminder that we don’t know when our time here is finished. Let’s not waste any more time on avoiding death, and spend some quality time preparing for it.

Here are today’s Old Testament Readings

Isaiah 10:12-20 (RSV) -  When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.  For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.  My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as men gather eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped."  Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!  Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.  The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.  The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.  The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.  In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that smote them, but will lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
 Genesis 7:6-9 (RSV) -  Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.  And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark, to escape the waters of the flood.  Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
 Proverbs 9:12-18 (RSV) - If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.  A foolish woman is noisy; she is wanton and knows no shame.  She sits at the door of her house, she takes a seat on the high places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way,  "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" And to him who is without sense she says,  "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."  But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

What's the deal with death?

Our “Ask Father” sermons each summer are quite popular, but there are always more questions than Sundays on which to preach an answer. Therefore, I have decided I would continue to entertain questions throughout the year and provide answers here on the blog. You never know....maybe YOUR question will become a sermon some day! Please use the “tell us what you think” button to the left to submit your questions.

This question was submitted via our YouTube Channel...

My question is, why do we say that death entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned. Notwithstanding the teachings on this subject from the Holy scriptures, ie, Gods commandments made know to Adam and Eve, and in there disobeying Him, the consequences, God said to them for if & when you eat of the tree of good and evil, you shall surely die. Is God just referring to a spiritual death, as well as a physical death of humans, (that's the only conclusion i can come to) for these sayings. But why does the Church say then that death entered the world after the fall of Adam and Eve. Because we learn from science, physics relics, from antiquity, that the evidence is quiet, overwhelming, that death has been around for billions of years, long before the human species ever came into existence. Surely, death of all things that was ever brought into existence, has followed the same predictable pattern for billions of years, plants, animals, stars, galaxies, suns moons, all are born, all mature, and eventually, all die. How do we substantiate, this claim that the Church, in fact most Christian, religion makes the same claim, that death entered the world from the sin of Adam and Eve. Would very much appreciate hearing back from you, maybe, shed some light on how we are to reconcile this issue in our own minds today, with all the advancements and knowledge that science has shown us, even proved through math, and relics.

– Question submitted by James (Demetri)

Thank you for your question Demetri. Let me begin with a clarification between the death of Adam and Eve as distinct from the death of plants and animals. God commanded our ancestors, “You may eat food from every tree in the garden; but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death.” (Gen 2.16-17 SAAS) This commandment was directed at Adam. I am not aware of any Church Father equating Adam’s death due to sin, with the death of every living creature on Earth. Saint Athanasios comments about Adam’s flesh rotting in the grave, but does not refer to other plants and animals. The fact that science reveals that plants and animals have been dying for so many years before modern man appeared on Earth is not in conflict with Genesis. This would be a good time to remind you that the Church does not ignore science as a God-given talent which ASSISTS us in understanding His creation. God’s creation was given to us to help us reach God.

That brings me to my next point about the consequences of Original Sin. Humans, having been placed within creation, are expected to live as part of creation as lord of creation. There is an important symbiotic relationship between lord and subject. As a consequence of The Fall this symbiotic relationship has been disrupted. God said, “Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the one tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground in your labors. In toil you shall eat form it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground from which you were taken.” (Gen 3.17-19 SAAS) This teaches us that the struggle between man and creation, rather than the death of plants and animals, is a consequence of The Fall.

As lord of creation (small “l” since God is the LORD of creation) our sin affects the creation. Our greed causes us to abuse creation for profit, causing excessive pollution of our air and water. Our lust causes us to rape the soil of nutrients so we can eat till our heart is content leaving soil barren and in need of chemical fertilizers. Our thirst to live wherever we please, irrespective of natural resources, causes or rivers to run dry. I think you get the point...

I pray this helps.

Doctrine Matters

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. John's Second Universal Letter 1:1-13 - The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.  And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.  And this is love, that we follow his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love.  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward.  Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.  If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting; for he who greets him shares his wicked work. Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister greet you.  Amen.

During a discussion yesterday about the sacredness the human body as it relates to the understanding of the Incarnation of Christ and the body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. In short I was explaining why Orthodox Christians are called to treat the human body, even after death, with dignity and respect because the Body is in Communion with God. This discussion took place in our Orthodoxy 101 Class which is why I am sharing it here. After explaining why we don’t cremate and why we frown upon our bodies being divided up and sold off the pavement during a car accident (but we consider it a blessing to donate organs in a planned and holy way), a comment was made, “Ok, it’s nice that you treat the body with respect but that doesn’t have anything to do with salvation.”

But it does as I explained last night. In Orthodoxy words matter. Theology matters. IF we truly believe that God came and dwelt among us; IF we truly believe He entered the waters of the Jordan and sanctified all life; IF we believe we truly receive the BODY AND BLOOD of Our lord in the Holy Communion; IF we truly believe our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit as the Scriptures confirm; THEN as a matter of salvation that belief MUST have an impact on how we treat the human body. If we discard the human body without regard after physical death, or purposely abuse our bodies while we are alive, I suggest with might not REALLY believe what we claim about Jesus Christ. Words matter. Theology matters.

In today’s Epistle Saint John writes, “Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.” While I appreciate the human desire to wish away consequences, the Church has ALWAYS believed doctrine was important, not because it affects God, but because proper doctrine affects our daily life. According to the doctrine of Jesus Christ, when we join ourselves to Christ through Holy Baptism, and when we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ during the Divine Liturgy, we are in REAL PHYSICAL union with God. That is the doctrine. Do our lives reflect THAT doctrine or another? If it reflects another doctrine, then go back and read the Epistle again. Doctrine matters!

It is absolutely a matter of salvation.

If it hurts it might be your pride

Today’s Gospel Reading: Luke 10:19-21 - The Lord said to his disciples, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."

Jesus promised the disciples that nothing would hurt them, but as we know only one of the original twelve died of “natural” causes. The rest were martyrs. We became His disciples and people hurt every day, physically and emotionally. What did Jesus mean when He promised that nothing would hurt us?

I received a note from someone recently asking advice on how to respond to a situation when they were hurt. The person asked, “In orthodoxy we are taught to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us.  I have followed this throughout my young life however now I wonder if there was something more to that?” YES, there’s always more to the story. The idea of turning the other cheek is more about US than the person who hurt us. Let me explain.

We pray in the 50^th Psalm, “Against You only have I sinned.” If our sin is only against God, then the sins of others are also only against God, even though we may feel the action. The call to turn the other cheek is to guide us into NOT taking personally the sinful actions of others. In fact, it is our sinful pride that we think that any sin could be against us, because in our mind it is ALWAYS about us. We must remember the context of the “turn the other cheek” command of God. (see Matthew 5.39) Jesus is helping us to resist evil. Among the turn the other cheek commands are the following commands:

" You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. " You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5.38-48)

So what is it that hurts when someone sins? Our pride is hurt, and that then becomes our sin. What about the physical pain we feel from others? Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10.28) The only damage done when someone hurts us physically, if we hold off our pride, is a simple flesh wound. Flesh wounds might hurt for the moment, but they heal. We often think the WORST possible thing someone can do to us, from our earthly vantage point, is to kill us. That ultimately is what Jesus wants us to understand from today’s reading. EVEN if they kill us, that doesn’t hurt us because Jesus has conquered death. We will live forever with Him. What will hurt much more ‘later’ is the hell we created by pride and our own sinful passions. 

Not Every Healing is a Miracle

I’ve been giving a great deal of attention to suffering lately in my sermons and blog posts. I have also referenced miracles within the context of suffering and healing. It occurred to me today, that many of us use the terms “healed” and “miracle” interchangeably. Just because we have been healed from an illness, doesn’t mean we have experienced a miracle.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “miracle” as

1. A wonder or wonderful thing.
2. An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed.

I like that the dictionary implies, or least I infer, that there is a difference between a wonder and an event that deviates from the known laws of nature. Sometimes, we just don’t understand it, but that doesn’t make it a miracle in the “God-sense” of the word. I have heard others suggest that miracles DO conform to the natural laws – God’s laws. I like this vantage point.

So that brings me to the point I want to make today. With the countless advances in medicine, including pharmacology and technology, human beings are being healed by many ailments that just twenty-five years ago, would have required a “miracle” by God. And yet, today the blind can see, the lame can walk, the deaf can hear. Are these miracles or a testimony to modern medicine?

That doesn’t mean I believe God has no hand in healing. I believe He does. It is His Holy Spirit that whispers into the hearts of researchers who discover the newest cure. It is His Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of the observer to see the chemical reaction take place. It is His Angels who guide the hands of the surgeon during organ transplants. But I would not call these healings, miracles.

An oncologist once said to a priest-friend of mine, “We are lucky to save 1 out of every 10 cancer patients we see.” He was quite proud of his accomplishments against such a horrible disease. My friend responded, “I have news for you. You haven’t saved ANY. They all still died, didn’t they?”

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in miracles, and wanting a miracles, and feeling upset when we didn’t get a miracle, that we easily forget we are going to die and THEN God will accomplish the REAL miracle...He will raise us from the dead to live eternally with Him in Heaven. In the meantime, let’s be thankful for the healing He does allow so that we have time to repent. Since we will all die, we should remember the healing we do receive is granted to us as a gift so that we can repent.

Priestly prayer for the sick in the hospital

O Lord Almighty, the Healer of our souls and bodies, You who put down and raise up, Who chastise and heal also; do You now, in Your great mercy, visit our brother(sister) who is sick. Stretch forth Your hand that is full of healing and health, and get him(her) up from the bed of pain, and cure him(her) of this illness. Put away from him(her) the spirit of disease and of every malady, pain and fever to which he(she) is bound; and if he(she) has sins and transgressions, grant to him(her) remission and forgiveness, in that You love mankind; yes Lord my God, pity Your creation, through the compassions of Your Only begotten Son, together with Your All-Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, with Whom You are blessed, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Suffering

Why does God allow suffering? Everyone knows firsthand that people suffer, but do they have to suffer to be “good” Christians? What’s so wrong with trying to avoid suffering? Why not strive for a life without suffering? While everyone experiences suffering, nobody enjoys it, but God blesses it especially when we endure it patiently with faith and prayer. With the story of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter as our “backdrop”, this week’s episode of Be Transfigured will look at suffering and why God allows it and but rarely allows miracles.

God Isn't in Control of Everything

I was having a conversation the other day with someone who asked, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” The person who asked, believes in God, but wondered herself why, if as she said, “God is in control of everything,” why He allowed sickness and death for young people. Death and sickness is on our “collective” minds lately with the recent suicide of a young woman who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. My response to her might surprise you...God ISN’T in control of everything!

WHAT!? Consider the story of Jairus’ daughter and the women with the flow of blood, both of whom were healed by Jesus Christ. (read Luke 8.40-56) Both women suffered, one for twelve years, the other only twelve years of age. Both were allowed by God to suffer, one even unto death; one the daughter of a powerful leader of the synagogue, the other an unknown woman. Both healed privately by God, but showed publicly to large crowds. Both received a miracle from God while thousands of others continue in their suffering, eventually losing their battles with illness. Why did God heal these two women, while leaving so many others (down through the ages) to suffer?

The answer is that God has given up His “control over everything” by allowing us to enjoy free will. The reality of life, so painfully experienced by so many, and why I was asked this question just the other day, is that God allows many more to suffer than healing them through some sort of miracle. That makes EVERY miracle special; otherwise we would not consider it a miracle. What we can learn about the purpose of miracles is in what happens after the miracle has been made public. The crowd witnesses the power of God, and they are given the opportunity to believe in Him. 

Avoiding the Torment of Hell

Nobody can deny that we will all eventually die, so it should be no surprise that Our Lord has provided many opportunities for us to better understand what we should expect. One example of how we learn about our eternal future is through parables. In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus found in the Gospel of Luke 16.19-31, Christ helps us to see that the condition of our heart will have a direct impact on how we will experience eternity with Him. If we want to avoid the torment of hell described for the rich man, we must learn to see others with love and compassion, but time is clicking. We have only until we die to change our hearts. We must take full advantage of every opportunity for our hearts to learn to love others by serving the poor with love and compassion. If we continue with a cold and selfish heart, our eternal future will be consumed with torment.

America NEEDS More Martyrs

All but one of the Holy Apostles was martyred for standing up and living the Gospel of Christ. In the earliest centuries of the Church, thousands of dedicated men and women were killed in a thousand different ways, by those who refused to embrace the message of hope that is preached by the Church. In many cases, these holy men and women, refused even to pretend to deny Christ, in order to show the world that the Kingdom of God is greater than any kingdom on Earth. The result of these martyrs was the conversion of the world into Christ’s Holy Church. Their willingness to die for the Gospel was an inspiration to thousands.

In our current political environment, it is becoming clear that sooner rather than later, the Church will again be in the position of standing up for the Gospel of Christ. In doing so, we must understand that the society at large will work against the Church. We may not be persecuted with death as in early centuries, but nonetheless we will be challenged to choose between living the Gospel and pleasing society. Although we cannot ignore that many are in fact being killed for their Christian Faith in other parts of the world, already these new martyrs have inspired new converts in the Middle East.

In America, our martyrdom will be different. We will be called to give up comforts, tax exempt status, wealth and other privileges that Churches have enjoyed since the founding of our nation. In America, our martyrdom will be green rather than blood red. In America, our martyrdom will include jumping through hoops to get buildings built and marriages sanctioned. Like the martyrs of old, our willingness to lose wealth and status and comfort will be an inspiration for others to embrace the Gospel of Christ. America NEEDS more martyrs. America needs YOU!

Not Every Struggle Should be Embraced

When Jesus Christ said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Me,” (Mark 8.34) He was comparing our Cross to our Christian struggle. But does God expect us to welcome every struggle? We all struggle, but not everyone embraces their struggles nor should they. What types of struggles are we expected to embrace if we are to follow Christ?

When we find ourselves in a struggle that is beyond our control such as poor health or natural disaster, we would do well to remind ourselves, that this sort of struggle is the result of our fallen world, and is not necessarily punishment for poor behavior or a test from God. Sometimes things just happen. These struggles should be embraced as any other part of daily life and they strengthen us for tomorrow.

When we find ourselves in a struggle that is the result of our Faith in Jesus Christ, either in the form of temptation or persecution, we would do well to remind ourselves that the world will forever fight against us to keep us from calling upon the Lord. We will never avoid temptation or persecution so long as we are following Jesus Christ. These struggles should be embraced as building spiritual muscles to fight against the devil and our passions.

And then there are the struggles that we bring on ourselves. We procrastinate. We eat poorly. We sleep when we should be working. We work when we should be praying. We make all sorts of decisions EVERY day that bring us struggle. HOWEVER these struggles should be avoided because they are the result of our poor decisions. This type of struggle is NOT your cross, but your consequence.

And THESE struggles can only be avoided when we embrace the Cross and those struggles that strengthen our faith SO THAT we can fight against temptation. Avoid the poor behavior and the struggle fades away.

Don't Allow Pain and Suffering to Distract You from God

Sometimes the pain of life can seem unbearable. Sometimes you are tempted to dwell upon your pain and suffering rather than the promise of God that you will live forever. The reality is, despite all the pain and suffering in this life, God promised that so long as you keep your focus on Him, you will not only be healed, but will live forever. Are you ready to trust God enough to not allow your pain and suffering to distract you from His promise?

You Can’t See Heaven if You Stare at the Earth

Jesus said, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3.12) When Christ speaks about earthly things, He is speaking about the things that give us pleasure, in other words our passions. For example: if we focus upon our material wealth, we are focusing upon earthly things rather than heavenly things. Jesus said, we can’t successful accomplish both. So......we have to make a choice.

Jesus also said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” (John 3.15) When the Jews were bitten by the serpent, they had to believe in the power of God enough to stare UP at the golden serpent and all it represented, and they would be healed. If we want to have everlasting life, despite the biting pain of life’s struggles, we have to believe in the power of God enough to stare UP at the Cross of Christ and all it represents. So.....we have to make a choice.

Jesus again said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3.17) When we spend our time staring down rather than UP toward God, we can’t see His Cross. When we spend our time staring at the wounds of life rather than UP at the Cross of Christ, we can’t see Christ calling us to heaven. So....we have a choice to make.

Which way will YOU look?

Courage and Hope

The media coverage this week presents us with the opportunity to witness true Christian courage and hope. In the face of struggle and illness, our faith is challenged, sometimes to the extreme. We may even find ourselves at the end of the line. It is at those moments that Jesus reminds us that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. It will be enough to get you through the struggles your face.

The Sanctity of Life

Here is the first episode of our new Summer Sermon Series, "The Sanctity of Life."

Severe Illness and Death

I had the honor of praying with three different families this week following the death of loved ones who had suffered from serious illnesses. In each case, while there was grief, there was also a sense of relief at the lack of pain and suffering their loved ones FINALLY were enjoying.

I also lost my mother almost three years ago following a serious illness, so I have personal experience with this hand-in-hand concept of relief-grief. I think is must be similar to a salve that a skilled doctor smears on a wound in order to help it heal. Sometimes the salve burns before it sooths. I believe serious illness sometimes sooths and acts like a salve for our grief. In fact, I think illness and death, taken in this context help each other.

What do I mean? When my mother was suffering from cancer, the pain of seeing her with no treatment possibilities was soothed by the death process as I knew she was finally comfortable. The pain I experienced in my mother’s death was soothed by knowing the illness had finally been healed. You might think one would have been easier without the other. But, in living the experience, I can say that each gave a deeper meaning to the other. Without the other, there would have only been pain without the soothing salve.

I think God gives us many gifts we don’t recognize in the midst of our pain and suffering. At the very least, serious illness allows us the opportunity to share the last days in love and peace, leaving nothing unsaid, while we say our goodbyes. It allows the chance for forgiveness and reconciliation. It allows us to see clearer than before, just how much God’s grace fills our lives. And all these soothe our aching hearts. For that, I am thankful.

Tomorrow is the Saturday of Souls, a day which the Church commemorates ALL the faithful who have died since the establishment of the Church. It is a day for us to remember, and pray for, our loved ones who are face-to-face with God praying for us. It is a day we can be soothed by God’s loving embrace.

May their memories be eternal.