I was standing there in front of their graves at the mausoleum, reading the names of my deceased grandparents and feeling the cool marble across my fingertips. I was overcome by grief on a cold, gloomy day with endless clouds in the sky. I went to say hello and tell them that I missed them dearly with my grandpa's recent passing that winter. Him and I had grown close through phone calls while I was away at college studying for my masters' degree. In the end, when he began hallucinating through medication side effects, I was told that I was there with him through many scenarios in a peaceful way. It was on that day as well where I had felt peace he had made it on the other side. I will never forget standing in front of their names, John and Linda, when this huge break in the clouds appeared and a single, solid stream of sunlight beamed down on me at the exact spot where I stood. My heart stopped and I looked above. How was this possible? This felt like a movie. There were no other beams of sunshine or light within the entire vicinity of the mausoleum, just onto my shoulders only. Whoever was attempting to communicate with me did it very clearly and sufficiently.
How can we process grief without the concept of afterlife and a heaven? This is where my journey began to lead me into the Catholic religion. I have began my journey around my mid 20s and others have criticized that I have only initiated this due to my husband's upbringing into the Catholic faith. However, I can assure you this was a self-motivated action to pursue a close relationship with something much bigger than myself- God. Is there a God? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion as there are a vast variety of religions across the world.
Whether you realize it or not, Christianity was not simply "made up". It was not invented by numerous emotionally motivated sentimentalists, dreamers, and romantics. I will admit that I am that type of person. All the relevant evidence indicates that the forensics of Christ who lived, died, and rose again burst upon the scene of human history entirely on its own accord. The Christian faith arose almost overnight in direct response to a remarkable series of actual events. A man appeared on the scene who claimed to be God. This man spoke and acted in such a way to validate his claims. Eventually, he paid for His bold words by dying a gruesome death on a Roman cross. Finally, he "proved" himself by rising from the dead on the third day.
Some may also claim this religion provides us with comfort and solace that there is life after death during our final judgement. Jesus did not simply speak of a life to come. He revealed such a life and gave use a glimpse of it when he rose. So when the church proclaims and explains eternal life, they does not do so on the basis of speculation.
The Lord has guided me towards the welcoming church at St. Isidore as I have navigated through my own beliefs and emotions throughout the RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program in preparation to obtain my sacraments. It was on Easter Day that the events were to be originally planned. However, the pandemic had proved to be an obstacle in the carryover. God had other plans for us to cherish the slow pattern of home life, establish a deeper connection with him through prayer and scripture, and reconnect with immediate family. I have had time for reflection to be truly grateful in the amount of acceptance and love that each staff and parish member of St. Isidore has shown us while welcoming us into the community and guiding us into the Christian faith and life. I cannot thank them enough for the continued support for providing a wonderful experience as we continue our everlasting journey. There are some in life who we are pulled to and led in some way or another and I believe that the RCIA program staff were meant to cross Manny and my paths. Trust that God will put the right people in your life at the right time and for the right reasons.
This past weekend everything came full circle as I was able to complete my sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and communion while surrounded by family, my husband as my selected sponsor, and as a result - I have never felt closer to God.
I challenge you to ask yourself how do you see the Lord's work in your everyday life? Do you believe that your loved ones who have passed on still live above in heaven, reuniting with those who have been awaiting and God himself? Soon, we will all know the truth to this endless question.
Until then, God will be with you, just as he is with your loved one's above.
