Christ is in our midst my brothers and sisters! Peace to all of you, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Spirit! Let the Peace from God be allowed to rest in your hearts, and allow the presence of God to comfort you, and the Love of God to fill your hearts, your thoughts, and your minds. Always give thanks to God for the great and wonderful things he has graciously given us, and for the lessons that he teaches us as well.
Today's writing is going to be very somber and sober. This writing is for all who have had a loved one pass away, either in the far past or in recent times. This writing is directly addressed to your name.
Remember, Jesus Christ cried at the Tomb of Lazarus. Here was Jesus, in the city of Bethany, with all the close family of his childhood friend Lazarus, and he wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Even the Savior of the World had to cry and weep at the Tomb of Lazarus. You see, this was recorded for a myriad of reasons, but one of the reasons was to show us Christians that Christ weeps with us whenever we lose a loved one. We may be tempted to think and believe otherwise, but the reality stands true: Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, literally weeps and cries with us whenever one of our loved ones have passed away. He understands the pain, he understands the sadness, and he understands the suffering of realizing one of your beloveds has passed away. He knows, for he completely identifies himself with us. He came down from heaven to be with his creatures, to completely identify with us. That includes our sadness whenever one who we love passes away. He knows, and so therefore, he weeps with you. Therefore, you can ask him to comfort you, and for you to feel his presence, for he is always present with us. You can ask him to grant to you the feeling of the presence of his Love and comfort. For since he knows how it is to be sad whenever one of our loved ones pass away, and the fact that he has risen from the dead, he can most certainly give you, out of his Love for you, his Mercy and Peace. And it is important to ask and to have these things, for he indeed does especially care for us during a time like this, and he out of his Wisdom and Love will certainly give you the way and the path to having his Mercy, Peace, and Love in a time like this.
It's also important to know that the loved one that has passed from this life has not been obliterated and no longer exists. Heavens no! For us who are united to Jesus Christ, who have faith in Jesus Christ, who remain faithful to Jesus Christ, we are always alive to him, for He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. The person who we love who has passed away, even though they are dead here, they are alive and well in Christ. All of the Baptized, the Faithful, and the Loving found in Jesus Christ, they are all alive to God. And so therefore, they have not been absolutely destroyed once they die, nor are they totally annihilated from existence, but the actual reality is that they now, because of their departure from this life, have found their rest and ultimate life in the very presence of God, alive and well to God, in everlasting life.
It is also important to know that you will see your loved one again, at the end of the age. Because your loved one was united to Jesus Christ, fully participating in his life, so just as Christ rose again in glory and was seen and embraced by the Holy Apostles, so will your loved one also will rise again for the glory of God, physically rise from being dead. And just as the Holy Apostles had immense joy upon seeing Christ, so will you rejoice and leap like a deer when you see your loved one rise from the dead, at the end of the age. We know that this is true, because He who has spoken of these things, our Lord Jesus Christ, he himself is genuine and true, and so his promise and prophecy of the rising of the dead at the end of the age will be fulfilled. And in that day, your joy will be fulfilled and everlasting.
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I am he who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (
Revelation 1:18). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord over Life and Death. He willingly came down from heaven to live with us, he willingly laid down his life for us, and he willingly rose from the dead, showing that he is the Author of Life and the Lord over Life and Death. So, just as he lived and died and rose again, so also will your beloved rise again, for the Baptized and Faithful in Christ will rise to glory to be received into the Kingdom of Heaven forevermore in the eternal Love and Life of God. And you who are Faithful and Baptized, you will also be received into the Kingdom of Heaven, and you will see your beloved, and you all will be together, and all together with God in his Love and Life for eternity. And we know that this is true, for even angels say concerning Christ's words, "These words are faithful and true" (
Revelation 22:6). And we know that angels cannot disobey God, and we know that God is the source of all truth, clarity, and understanding. This is a fact, so do not doubt it.
When one of our loved ones have been called by God to depart from this life and to be with him in the next, this most likely means that God is simply calling your beloved to be with him in heaven, and at that time it was the best time for this person's salvation and for the invited salvation for as many as possible. As we all know from Scripture, God is the God of the Living, and not of the dead. He also invites all the Saints to find rest in him, as Christ tells to all who would listen, "Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon ye, for I am meek and humble of heart. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When a Saint (Saint in this case means any of the faithful in Christ's Church) departs from this life, they are coming to God to find eternal rest for their souls, and to be gifted by God eternal life. Therefore, God definitely does not take away the life of a faithful loved one for the purpose of inflicting pain, but simply to call this person to be with him in heaven, and to make sure that they do not lose their given place in heaven. We know that God in his Wisdom foresees everything, every event, and so he works in creation to bring as many as possible to the Great Wedding Banquet, the Kingdom of God. When he calls one of the faithful to be with him, to depart from this life into the next, he foresaw that at this exact time, it is the best time to bring this person to be in his Love and Life for eternity, and to invite effectively as many as possible to be in his Kingdom. So therefore, God does not call one of the faithful to depart from this life to be cruel, but to ensure the salvation for this person, and for as many are willing to choose to be saved. For God desires the repentance and salvation of the sinner, not the destruction of the sinner, and for the saved to be in his Love and Life for eternity. God in his Wisdom has a good reason for everything he does.
And yes, life can feel a lot more empty without this person who you love. Christ knows that, and he definitely knows and feels your pain. What do you do? "Do not worry about your life." It is a lot when your loved one dies. Christ invites us to not worry, and to take rest in him. It's good to simply take a few days of rest. Imitate Christ, go to a deserted place, learn to rely on God so that you will not be so worrisome, learn from Christ the reality of where your beloved is now, spend some time with the ones you love, laying your life down for those around you with Love for one another. Spend some time in the Holy Scriptures, and learn from Christ the richness of his salvation, and the salvation he has given to your beloved he has called to pass from this world and come into the next. Go to Church, and know his Love. Confess your sins, so your conscience will be clear to learn from the Pure Word of God, Jesus Christ. Spend some time with the people of God, and spend some time in intimate prayer to God. "Do the Good you know, and what you don't know will be revealed to you." That's a quote from a very famous and Holy Church Father whose name I can't remember at the time of this writing. And once you have been strengthened and healed by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, keep going, keep persevering, and keep Loving. By this, you will honor God, honor your neighbors, and honor your beloved.
To all who have lost a loved one, I am sorry, and I do feel your loss. However, do not despair, and do not worry, for you will see your beloved again, and you now know that your beloved is still alive to Christ. It's only a matter of time before you see your beloved again, in the wonderful Kingdom of God, of which Christ has promised to the faithful and loving found in him. Jesus Christ, who is the God of the Universe, who was, who is, and who is to come, always fulfills the prophecies that he speaks, and he always keeps his promise. He who is Lord over Death and Life, he is faithful and true, and will come to save you, for he is Genuine, Faithful, Pure, and Truthful. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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