There is something that connects every one of us at Mass today. It’s something that is true no matter who we are, how old we are, or how we have lived our lives. Every single one of us has either experienced the loss of a loved one or one day we will. It is one of those experiences that reminds us just how human we really are.

And when that reality comes about, we all handle it a little bit differently. Some people cry easily while others get quiet. Some stay busy to keep their minds from dwelling on the loss. Some get angry at God. And some don’t feel much of anything at all for a while, they kind of just go through weeks or months being numb. But no matter how our grieving looks, the truth is this: it is hard to say goodbye to someone we love. That ache in our hearts, that empty chair at the dinner table, that moment we reach for the phone to call someone who is no longer here, those are all reminders of just how much love we shared.

But here is the beautiful part of our faith. Even in that sadness, even in that feeling of loss, the Lord is there. He is not standing off in the distance watching it all happen as if He could care less; He is right there in it with us. Remember when Jesus stood at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. What did He do? He wept. He recognized the agony and the sorrow of Martha and Mary, He sympathized with their loss. But He also felt that sorrow for Himself. That’s who God is. The Lord enters into our grief. He walks with us through it.

Now, sometimes we don’t realize His presence right away because the pain might be too sharp, the loss too fresh. But eventually, if we enter into that grief with the Lord and ask Him where He is in it, we start to see where He was. We start to see how He was present in our friends and family who comforted us, in our moments of prayer, in those quiet times at Mass, in those memories of our loved ones that make us smile. The Lord never left.

There is a truth that we experience in loss. Yes, death does leave a huge void in our hearts; but that void is not a permanent one. For those of us who believe in the promise of the Resurrection, death doesn’t end life; it transforms it. It opens us to a new reality where love endures and life continues in the Father. And so, because of that, we can hope in the midst of grief. We recognize that our loved ones aren’t gone, they have simply gone ahead of us.

Death does not destroy love…it can’t. Why? Because love, in its truest form, comes from God. And what is a central characteristic about God? That He is eternal. So, in those moments when we stand at a graveside, or light a candle in memory of our loved ones, or whisper a prayer for someone we miss, what we are really saying is, “I still love you.” And that love reaches across Heaven and earth.

That is what we mean when we talk about the Communion of Saints. The Church is that Communion of Saints. Whether it’s those of us here on earth, our brothers and sisters experiencing purgatory, or those triumphant in Heaven, we are all united as one family in Christ. Our loved ones haven’t disappeared; they are praying for us, cheering us on, helping us in the best way they can.

And here is something I think is really powerful to remember. At every Mass, Heaven and earth come together. Every time we gather around this altar, we are not alone. During the Sanctus, every angel and saint in Heaven, all our loved ones who are with the Lord, the Church purgative…they’re all here too. They gather with us to worship the same God. That is why the Mass is never just something that happens in this building; it is a taste of Heaven. The veil between Heaven and earth grows thin right here. The same Jesus who feeds us in the Eucharist is the same Jesus who welcomes our loved ones in eternal life.

So, as we come forward for Communion today, remember that. Think about who we’re praying for…a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend. Realize that in this sacred moment, we’re not separated from them. In fact, this is the one place we’re closest to them, we’re united with them in Jesus.

Today, on this All Souls Day, let’s remember to thank God for the gift of those who have gone before us. We ask Him to draw them close to His heart and to give us the grace to keep walking in faith until we are reunited with them at the eternal banquet of Heaven.

And so we pray: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Photo: Cemetery at Sunrise, JF Martin (2020). Used under Unsplash license.