Memorial Mass for the Deceased

Once a month we offer Mass for the deceased.  Why?  To pray for those who have gone before us of course, but also to remind ourselves about the brevity of life and the happiness that is to come after death.  St. Benedict urges us to keep death daily before our eyes, not just monthly but daily. 

There’s a lesson in a far eastern culture that says, “To be a happy person, one should contemplate death five times a day.”

Why? Because thinking about the eternal life that is to come after death, reminds us that if we are chastised a little here and now, we shall be greatly blessed in the age to come. Then a wonderful thing happens.  We become more grateful even for little things, like sunny days, gentle rains, ocean breezes, and a really good apple crisp. And gratitude is at the heart of being a good Christian.