November Days

As I pray for those who have died, I think of the ways that God was present in them. For each person, I then can recall how each of them showed the love of God present in their lives. How my friend who just unexpectedly passed away gave his life to evangelization, or how my children had a giving love for others, and how my brother loved kids and worked with kids. I recall the deep faith of my parents, whose lives ended as living acts of evangelization. When I pray for the dead, I recall these things and point them out to the Lord saying “here’s what I saw them do for You. Have mercy on them.” Of course, you can’t do this if you don’t love yourself in the same manner. If you fail to recognize the love of God in your own life, in who you are, sins and all, you aren’t about to see it in the lives of others.