Gone Before Me

The house where I live is only two blocks away from the city-owned cemetery. It serves as a good reminder to watch and be ready, for one doesn't know the hour of death. I exercise the seventh Spiritual Work of Mercy nearly every time I pass it.

Today, it also reminds me of another soul who needs my prayers. It is now twenty years to the day since the passing of my father. The story of his death and funeral are still to this day the saddest in my life. The only other detail I can add is the citation of the First Reading for his Funeral Mass--Isaiah 55:6-9.

Kindly say prayer for the repose of his soul, as well as those who dwell in Purgatory.

Take comfort in these words.

I still do.