Matthew Gambino
We’ve all received rich blessings from almighty God. I’m surely thankful for mine, even if one of them is not a strong memory. Forgetfulness seems to increase with age, but for now at least, I can remember to place a period.
Age, and its inevitable conclusion, has been on my mind lately. My siblings this year have all topped 60 years. For them I am grateful, along with all our family.
It’s comforting to know that our mother is still with us, at age 92, and that her father lived to 95. On the flip side, our own father died at age 62, and most of the men of that side of the family similarly died young.
In the long term I eat my fruits and veggies, smile and forgive often. In the short term, at this time of year, I come back to a memory of something Archbishop Charles Chaput once advised: memento mori, Latin for “remember (your) death.”
It’s not as morbid as it sounds. On November 1 we celebrate all the saints in heaven, and on the following day all the dead who long for that same eternal home, according to God’s justice and mercy.
This month is a time to remember that we are all going to die. It’s only a matter of how and when. From the joys and struggles of the everyday to the poignant moments of celebration and loss, we face the invitation to live every day fully with gratitude and forgiveness.
And we face the finality of death, but only that. Finality really isn’t the final word. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus, we find not finality but fulfillment in death. Eternal life, then, is a fulfillment of the limited successes and bitter disappointments we have faced in every season of our lives.
We’re on this earthly journey of hope for that fulfillment, knowing through faith that our deceased parents, relatives, and friends rely on our prayers and we on theirs. Therefore the separation between us is thin and temporary.
In thinking about our communion with them and praying for them, we can say “goodbye” as the French do, “Au revoir.” Its literal meaning is, “We’ll see you again.”
If your memory is clicking at least as well as mine (better, I hope), take a few moments in this month of November to remember those saints of the church and those saintly figures in your own life. Remember your death, whenever that occurs.
And make time to thank God for his gifts – the greatest of which is the hope of eternal life and eternal union with God through Jesus his Son in the Holy Spirit, and with all the saints in glory.
As Archbishop Nelson Pérez often advises, never underestimate the Spirit’s power to work in you as you try hard every day to become holy.
It’s a powerful reminder, especially valuable for folks (like me) who need a swift reminding kick now and then.
As the Litany of the Saints proclaims: “All holy men and women, pray for us.”
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Matthew Gambino is deputy communications officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
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