Finding hope in Christ during times of mourning

Our Church observes the month of November as the month of the dead. The first day of November is the Solemnity of All Saints, which focuses on heaven – where the holy women and men of all ages and of everywhere are in glory with God. I refer to them as everyday saints. They are not the canonized saints who have a fixed feast day on the calendar, and whose outstanding holiness is recognized by the Church, such as Saint Anthony (June 13), Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Oct. 1) and hundreds of others. The everyday saints, some of whom you may have known and loved, lived their lives following the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ. In life, they sought holiness and faithfully fulfilled their duties and obligations according to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. In death, they have achieved glory.

The second day of the month, the commemoration of the faithful departed, All Souls’ Day, focuses on the deceased who are working their way to glory. They are assisted by our prayers as they are prepared for eternal glory by being purged of their sins. On All Souls’ Day with the hope of eternal life and the promise of the Resurrection, we pray for them, our sisters and brothers.

No human person can escape death. When it occurs to loved ones or to those we know – for example, neighbors, parishioners, co-workers – the pain of mourning them touches us. Depending on our relationship with the deceased, that pain can be severe and last a long time. For understanding of the mystery of death, we look to the Death of Jesus Christ and the salvation he achieved by his Death on the Cross and his Resurrection from the dead. His Cross and Resurrection inform our deaths. He passed from death to life, and it is our hope that we also pass through death to life eternal. With this hope, Saint Paul wrote, “O death, where is your victory. O death, where is your sting.” (1 Cor. 15:56) With this same hope in the funeral liturgy, our Church prays, “Life is changed, not ended.”

Recently, death came to my door with the death of Mother Lucille Cutrone, CFR, who was the foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Renewal, a new and young community of consecrated women who minister in our Diocese in Atlantic City. I got to know and love Mother Lucille when I was vicar general in the Archdiocese of New York. The CFR community was beginning to grow and were in need of a place to establish themselves and commence their mission among the poor. I was in a position to assist them, and thus began a relationship with her and her sisters.

Her deep faith, literally, leaping into the dark with a few sisters to begin their communal life and ministry, so impressed me and my at-times hesitant faith. Her joy and the joy of the sisters were palpable, and for me a delight, as I was involved in some ugly situations in the archdiocese that saddened me. Her fidelity to prayer encouraged my fluctuation at prayer. Her feminine sincerity with people, especially the poor, reminded me to treat everyone as worthy of respect and understanding. I tell you all this because the news of her fast-growing cancer and subsequent death intensely pained me.

A vigil service was held on the night before her Mass of Christian Burial, which took place at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral at the insistence and invitation of Cardinal Dolan. I attended that vigil service. We gathered around her body, which was in an open coffin. Stories about her were told, some of them very humorous. Hymns were sung by the packed congregation; the Scriptures were proclaimed; testimonies were given about how her life touched the lives of others. Prayers to God were prayed for her behalf, and the recitation of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary (the vigil took place on a Sunday) concluded the vigil service.

Participating in that vigil service lessened my pain at the loss of this exceptional woman, a sister in Christ whose religious consecration mothered so many, including me. I terribly miss her, but that vigil service touched me with a much-needed dose of hope in Christ. It took my mourning this great woman to experiencing a peace that she was safe and with God. Yes, it comforted me. I am still sad that she is not among us. However, I believe what faith teaches me about eternal life in which Mother Lucille rests awaiting the resurrection of the dead on the last day.

The pain of death is real, as is the sadness it produces. What matters for us is what precedes our deaths, our lives, lived in Christ. In this valley of tears, we need faith, joy and concern for others, both those close to us and those at a distance.

During November, the Month of the Dead, pray this traditional prayer:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.