In Memoriam Blas Perez

Any act of separation usually makes us cry. Take for example a woman who is giving birth to a baby. The act of separating the baby from the womb of the mother may either makes the mother or the baby cries. Observe also when a parent goes to work and he/she has to leave his/her child at home, the child usually cries refusing to let go of his parent. The same thing happens when the child goes to school for the first time and his parent or guardian leaves him in the classroom, the child cries. Let us also consider the case of some married couples, if one of them has to go abroad for a job, both cry notwithstanding the good reason of finding a job abroad. In the same manner, some parents cry when their daughter decides to get married. Such parents do not cry because they do not want their daughter to get married but because they know she has to live her own life and decide for herself. The most crucial act of separation happens when death comes in our midst. We do not cry because we do not expect death to happen. We cry because death comes when we are least prepared to accept it. But even if we are prepared for its coming, still we cry because we know we cannot spend our time with our beloved dead the way we used to do. Of course, no one is expected to be happy for the death of the person he/she loves. If there is a moment of consolation for one not to cry during the death of his/her beloved, it is the moment of letting the person go and accept death because it is more difficult to see the latter suffering from his/her situation. Years after one's beloved died, those who are left behind are expected to go on with their respective lives. Although it cannot be avoided that there are times that they long for the good old days, they have to move on. In our Catholic practice, we usually remember our beloved dead and count the years when death separated us from him. We call it "death anniversaries." We celebrate this so called death anniversary not because we realize that we must be happy about death. No! We celebrate such anniversary because it gives us a reason to be happy despite death tries to spoil our meaningful life. What is this reason? Well, in counting the years from the death of our beloved until today, it shows that death has no power to kill or to put an end to our love for the person eventhough he has gone for a long time. To celebrate one's death anniversary would only mean the victory or triumph of love of the living over death. In your situation, your memories of your father are still vivid and alive. It is a great sign of your love for him. Not only this, you might not notice that his character has been passed on to you, how you live your lives and how you handle your own family. Your children and your children's children also have a share of his character whether they are aware of this or not. With all these, death has no power to totally separate you from your beloved father. Eventhough death made you cry, you can still make the last laugh because death could not take away your father from your memories, from your life and from your love. In celebrating today the death anniversary of your father, it reminds us that death can only separate us physically, but never beyond this. Added to this, we also hope that time will come for us to be reunited with him. This is what actually our Catholic faith tells us too; Jesus commanded His apostles to celebrate the eucharist in memory of Him before His passion and death. To remember Him is an act of love and at the same time it gives the apostles hope. This hope is what we always proclaim during the mass, "When we eat this bread, when we drink this cup, we proclaim your glory until you come again." As we celebrate this mass, we also remember our beloved Blas as we await the time we shall meet him on a the last day. So my dear friends, keep on remembering as an act of love with the hope that one day what death has deprived us God shall provide us. Amen.