Isn't God Good!
We attended a lay ministers' retreat at church today. Daily mass was the first thing on the agenda. When Nelson and I walked in to mass, we entered a funeral. We stepped back out thinking maybe we had the wrong time or place, but a kind fellow minister pulled us back in.
Interesting, to attend a funeral of someone you've never met. However, it seemed to be an opportunity for this soul to receive a multitude of prayers she probably never expected.
Our current pastor is one of the best homilests I've ever heard. He did not disappoint today. In fact, it was so heartfelt that I whispered to Nelson to be sure to have him speak at my funeral. He was wearing a black vestment which I don't ever remember seeing on a priest and it intrigued me. If anyone knows the reason behind this, please fill me in.
At the point in the mass when they began to prepare for the Eucharistic Celebration, the soloist sang the Ave Maria. I was swept away in the beauty of the moment.
Our church is absolutely gorgeous. It is big enough to feel magestic but not so big that you get lost in it. The windows, decor, and music make it easy to worship. The reverence with which our priests, deacons, acolytes and altar servers carry themselves is inspiring. The fact that Jesus is truly present there every moment makes all of these other things pale in comparison.
How beautiful it is to celebrate the sacraments in this kind of environment! How wonderful it was to be able to pray for someone's soul with the faith that she is now with Jesus! What a miracle it is to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus!
Isn't God good!
posted by Amy Parris @ 11:45 PM
3 Comments:
My husband's grandmother died about a month before my oldest son's third birthday. My #2 son was about 14 months old. We entered with the casket and walked her up the aisle. Our seats were on the center aisle and the casket was about two arms lengths away. Our oldest son was very aware that Grandmother was inside the casket. During the homily, I had to leave the pew and stand in the back of the church with the baby who was fussing, and I remained there for the duration of the Mass. The soloist also sang Ave Maria during the Preparation of the Gifts. My son turned to my husband and said, "Daddy, they're singing Grandmother a lullaby!" It was so sweet.
Taking young children to funerals is a great opportunity to teach them about the faith. Their questioning minds turn to death and offer the opportunity to talk about Heaven.
My oldest has been to more than her fair share of funerals. We've had these talks so many times that she often says she's ready to go to Heaven. It scares me to death, but the reality is that we should all feel the same way.
My 6 year old is obsessed with death and says he doesn't want to die. I don't know where this comes from. We assure him that when it's time for him to die, hopefully when he's an old old man, he will be more than happy to go meet Jesus.
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