EDITORIAL - What we should consider for All Souls' Day

Millions of people were finally able to visit the tombs of their departed loved ones during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day after two years of being away.

These two days have always been a reason for families to get together. This in itself is not bad; families must find every reason to connect, and to establish and strengthen the ties that bind them.

But rather than treat this as just an occasion to meet family members long not seen, we should also not forget the true purpose of these days.

For All Saints Day it is to honor all of the men and women who have been proclaimed saints by the Roman Catholic Church.

For All Souls Day it is to remember those of us who have passed on and to pray for those whose souls are still in purgatory, that their passage to heaven may be expedited.

All Souls Day is also a good time to reflect on our death itself, something many of us choose to ignore or postpone thinking about as much as possible. We cannot be faulted for doing so, we are too busy living.

But while the specter of death may seem so remote to many of us, we must make no mistake about it; our time will come. Aside from taxes the only thing sure in this life is death.

What kind of memory do we want to leave behind? How do we want to be remembered after we have passed on?

More often than not we don’t remember someone for the material things he accumulated or left behind.

We do not remember that person for what kind of job he had, what kind of house he lived in, what kind of car he drove, or how much money he made. We may be familiar with those details, yes, but it will not be for those things that we remember them.

We remember someone for what kind of person he or she was when they were still alive.

We remember someone for how compassionate or not he was. We remember someone for the things he did or didn’t do to help us. We remember someone for the things he did or didn’t do to help others. We remember someone for how he lived and loved.

We have a limited time on this earth to make ourselves worth remembering. We should make sure to leave behind a life that others will remember was lived and spent well.