All Souls’ Day

Maryknoll Lay Missioner Kathy Bond reflects on God’s love for us all.

“Brothers and sisters: Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

Today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans speaks to us in these times as it has spoken to people throughout history. When we find so much brokenness in the world, how do we find hope that does not disappoint?

Our dedication to rituals can be a measure of our emotional balance and mental health, a wise Brazilian man once told me.

One of my family’s traditions that comes from my husband, Flávio, is decorating and visiting his family burial plot on All Souls’ Day, a national holiday in Brazil, where I have been a Maryknoll lay missioner for over 30 years.

During the nine years that our family lived in the capital city of São Paulo, I missed this annual pilgrimage to his tiny hometown in the rural region of the northeastern state of Paraíba. On our first trip to the cemetery after moving back to Paraíba several years ago, I noticed that I was witnessing a familiar scene – a family remembering and honoring departed loved ones exactly 10 years apart.

Family and friends of the deceased decorate grave stones and plots with flowers leading up to November 2 and then stay the entire day as friends and other family members light candles and tell stories of the loved ones. It is a beautiful ritual where the sharing connects us to the strength, pain and resilience of our ancestors.

That year when Flavio, our daughter Maya, and I spent the day at his grandparents’ graves, Flavio noticed that a nearby grave only had one simple flower. He lit a candle and placed it next to the flower in silence as the cemetery bubbled with activity, love, and mourning. It was a moment that beautifully captured for me the love of God being poured into our hearts.

I also find it powerful to imagine all of my ancestors standing behind me and rooting for me. My experience is that “Hope doesn’t disappoint” when we surround ourselves with people who are rooting for us. In my ministry with teenage girls, this is one of the strategies that I share to promote self-esteem and mental health. When we have friends who give us support, express a desire for our success, and cheer us on, especially during a challenging time, we not only remain hopeful but have the internal resources to share the best of ourselves with others. With this, the love of God that has been poured into our hearts is shared with the world.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Bond.