Today and every day, I remember…

A personal reflection for All Souls’ Day[1]

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,

Alleluia! Alleluia![2]

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and no torment will ever touch them (The Wisdom of Solomon 3.1)

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Today and every day, I remember, O God, with gratitude always to you:

My mother Lolita and my father William, through whose loving union you granted me the gracious gift of life in this world; and

My mother, through whose unassailable forbearance, you granted me the inestimable gift of the revelation of unflagging faith come whatever, come whenever, come however; and

My father, through whose fiery temperament and his paradoxically simultaneous acknowledgement and disregard for the odds against him, you granted me the disturbing gift of an abiding visceral impatience with injustice; and

My brother Wayne, through whose abundant compassion for all, especially the disenfranchised, the least and the last, and his indomitable courage in the face of his own tribulation unto his dying day, you granted me the splendid gift of a vision of the noblest humanity of your Son Jesus.

Thus, I pray: O God, with whom still live the spirits of those who die in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful are in joy and felicity: I give you heartfelt thanks for the good examples of all your servants, especially, on this day, my parents and my brother, who, having finished their course in faith, now find rest and refreshment. May I, with them and all who have died in the faith of your holy Name, have perfect fulfillment and bliss in your eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.[3]

© 2021 PRA

#remembranceandreverance #familyheritage #lessonslearned #giftsandgracesgiven

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[1] All Souls’ Day, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, following All Saints’ Day (November 1), since the 11^th century, has been a part of the Western Christian calendar of observances.

[2] Words by William Walsham How (1823-1897)

[3] The Book of Common Prayer, page 503 (with my personalized emendations)