Who Build the Memorials
This has been a difficult week for so many people. There have been tragic accidents where lives have been lost. Many people are hurting and asking why. The question becomes even more difficult when such young lives are lost. It just doesn’t seem fair. It is not right. Why do such vibrant young people die?
In the first reading we bless God because God has blessed us. It is hard to remember that God loves us in these tragic events. It is hard to remember that God does not want any of us to die.
Jesus spoke of the prophets. In Israel they built memorials to the great prophets. We do that today. I think of the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, and others.
We were not ready to hear the words of truth that they spoke when they were alive, but now that they are dead, we realize the importance of their words. For those who died this past week, we will place a headstone, a type of memorial. We want something to remember them. The dates on the stone give nothing of the pain and suffering we feel.
There is one special consolation we need to hold onto. That is the relationships we have. Relationships never end. True, they may no longer walk with us here, but we know they are still with us.
Relationships do not die, they only change. Faith is knowing that no one is ever really gone. Faith is the memorial we carry in our hearts for those who are no longer with us.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen