One of my favorite scriptural passages is from St Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Paul, who is often such a dense and complex theologian, reveals his enormous pastoral love for Timothy. He tells him that he remembers him constantly and recalling Timothy’s tears he longs to see him. Paul reminds him of his sincere faith - a faith that lived first in his grandmother Lois and then his mother Eunice. Paul hopes that such memories will make Timothy strong with God’s spirit, a spirit not of cowardice but of power, love and self-control.
I used this quote on memorial cards for my parents and I hope to pray these scriptural verses during November when traditionally we remember the dead; those who went before us and who played a part in whom we are today. An irony of modern Western life is that as our families get smaller and more nuclear, people feel increasingly isolated. Yet we have never been more dependent on one another. For example, witness the havoc a blackout or a strategically placed strike can cause.
When I was working as the Columban Vicar General I had the privilege of visiting all the countries in which we work and I was made aware of how conscious other cultures are of their ancestors. In Latin countries All Souls Day is a major feast when people try to visit the graves of their families. In Confucian countries they combine remembering the dead with major feasts for harvest and New Year.
In a way my father prepared me for this. On the day after Christmas he always insisted that we go to Mass to pray for our dead. I didn’t appreciate being dragged from my bed but I did learn that our dead were an important part of our family. We were more than the five of us.
I hope that the months of November and December are joyful and graced times for you and your families and that you find comfort and strength in the memory of those who have gone before you. My missionary hope is that our empathy will eventually grow to include everyone.
Fr Noel Connolly
director@columban.org.au