All Saints Day
As I sit silently praying after All Saints mass, I reflect on the recent passing of my Nanay. In that reflection I can’t help but think about our baby Sebastiàn. Just as both the sunrise and sunset bear the most colorful skies, it is in the beginning, and in the end, that reminds us of the deep love that is all around us and that is timeless. In this reflection, I am reminded of the worry I had for my Nanay in her passing. Just as in the sunset, it is the same natural fatherly worry I carry in the sunrise of our son. It is a worry that is shared amongst all ages. Beginning or end; a worry that comes deeply out of love, compassion, and care.
It was in this reflection, that I discovered, our prayers should not solely be used to assuage our worries, or to eliminate our pain, but rather we should pray to expand our worry. We should pray that our love is so deep and so wide, that we extend our worry beyond where it is easy to love, to where it is the most difficult, where it is needed most. I pray that we may worry for those who are alone, those who are lost, and for those who are forgotten. That we may feel their pain, and we may be able to meet them where they are at, and in that we are able to truly be stewards of God’s boundless love. No matter what walks of life we take on, or however short or long we are on this earth, that is how the time between our sunrise and sunset are given purpose.
