That was the unsolicited wardrobe advice I was greeted with on a recent Saturday morning as I groggily poured my first cup of coffee. “This was G.G. Mae’s — I’m keeping it,” I said. I inherited this L.L. Bean red plaid robe from my husband’s grandma. And I love it right down to the small hole she created with the ash from one of her signature Pall Mall cigarettes. It’s one of many tangible items I treasure from loved ones that are cues to their importance in my life, like my dad’s typewriter, and my Nonna’s ultra chic cat-eye glasses.
However, it’s the intangibles of those loved ones that have gone before that we carry in our hearts — their attributes that weave their way into your being. The faith they instilled and the values they lived.
During November, the Church observes the month of holy souls in purgatory. We start off with a great line-up: All Saints’ Day, followed by All Souls’ Day or Dia de los muertos. My colleague first introduced me to the cultural traditions surrounding “Day of the Dead” including creating an altar with photos and mementoes from deceased loved ones. This tradition, featured prominently in the Disney movie “Coco,” is a beautiful affirmation of why we honor our loved ones by keeping them alive in our hearts and memory.
As Catholics, we’re called to not just remember, but also to pray for these important souls. We do so at every Mass we attend (when we pray for the faithful departed during the Eucharistic Prayer and the intercessions).
My biased thinking is that some of my loved ones jumped the line straight to heaven, but I don’t really know and obviously that decision is, “above my pay grade.” So I figure whether I’m praying for them, as souls in purgatory, or asking for their intercession if they’re in the communion of saints, God will sort it out.
Pope Francis explains it better than I ever could when he said:
“The foundation of prayers of remembrance is found in the communion of the mystical body. Remembering the dead, caring for their tombs and prayers of suffrage are testimony to confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human destiny, as humanity is destined for a life without end, that has its root and its fulfillment in God.”
So this month, I will continue to wear my robe proudly, pray for G.G. Mae, my dad, my Nonna and grandpa and all those beloved souls whose earthly lives run through me and whose heavenly lives may be assisted by me.