Comfort for those who mourn
So many people see in death nothing but a cruel separation from loved ones. Even good and religious people make that sad mistake.
In death there is certainly the very real pain and sorrow of physical separation. But it is equally true that our loved ones remain with us. They do not just go off to some dark and distant place. They simply continue into eternal life. We do not see them because we are still in the darkness of this world. But their spiritual eyes, filled with the light of Heaven, are always watching us as they wait for the day when we shall share their perfect joy. We are born for Heaven and we end this life of tears to begin our life of endless happiness.
I have often reflected upon this beautiful truth and found it the greatest and surest comfort in time of mourning. A firm faith in the real and continual presence of our loved ones has brought the conviction and consolation that death has not destroyed them, nor carried them away. Rather it has given them life! A life with power to know fully and to love perfectly. With this new life and new power our loved ones are always present to us, knowing and loving us more than ever before.
The tears that dampen our eyes in times of mourning are tears of homesickness, tears of longing for our loved ones. But it is we who are away from home, not they!. Death has been for them a door way to an eternal home. They are still with us, lovingly and tenderly waiting for the day when we, too, will enter the doorway of our eternal home. It is such a mistake to see death as separation and nothing more. For us who believe, death is a preparation for eternal union with those we love, in the peace and joy of Heaven.