Saturday was my Dad’s Memorial Mass. His death occurred several months earlier when our diocese was in lock down due to the coronavirus, and we were not allowed to gather for mass or funerals. The fact that his home parish offered us the date of August 15th seemed like such a blessing. August 15th is the day we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into heaven and my Dad had a great devotion to Mary.
I spent the day wondering about "the moment" you leave earth. I imagined what Mary must have felt to see the face of Jesus, her beloved son and her Messiah. Her joy, I’m sure, had to be beyond any words. Mary was carried body and soul into heaven and crowned Queen of Heaven. To hear the angels sing on that day must have been amazing!
Although for the rest of us, the resurrection of our bodies will occur at some later date, our souls will be able to gaze upon the face of Jesus after we leave this world. Imagine the joy we will feel! I’m sure it will be beyond words for us, too!
The loss of my dad weighs heavy on my heart, but knowing that he was joining the angels' voices as all of heaven celebrated the Assumption of Mary, makes me smile. It is ironic that death is painful only for the living, for the dying it is the beginning of eternal happiness. My Dad knew this. He thought we should always remember the promises of our faith at a funeral.
We ended my Dad's Memorial Mass with the song "Soon and Very Soon". It was one of my Dad's favorites. We all clapped with the beat as we sang, and at the song's end we clapped even louder. After Mass, the organist told me that was one of the most uplifting funeral masses she had ever experienced. I smiled and said, "That is exactly the way my Dad wanted it to be!"
-Susan
