It’s been humorously said that to travel east on Hwy 1 to Kamloops (or other places) you must “go by Hope …”
That’s true from a driving point of view, in that you must pass the town of Hope, B.C., but the statement has a second meaning which is the positive expectation in getting to the destination.
We have an important destination in heaven. We are blessed with the theological virtue of hope, one of the three important theological virtues (faith, hope and charity). A virtue is the habitual and firm disposition to do the good. Hope is the virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness (CCC 1817). Through our baptism we are united to Christ and this destiny and share a common life in Christ.
Now that’s a beautiful destiny that can keep our frequent feelings of discouragement during this pandemic in a healthier perspective. It certainly has for me. Hope responds to our aspiration to happiness which God has placed in our hearts, keeps us from discouragement, and sustains us in time of challenge (CCC1818). The social teaching of our Church highlights that faith saves, charity loves, but it is hope that enlightens.
At Gardens of Gethsemani, we journey with families going through a range of emotions when there is a loss in the family. Emotions range from anxiety and great sorrow to prayerful contentment and acceptance. In different ways we’ve all experienced loss during the COVID-19 pandemic: loss of important connections, some loss of mobility and freedoms, and diminished connections to our faith and social community.
A cemetery can be viewed as a place of loss and sorrow, but we are encouraged to view a Catholic cemetery is a symbol of hope, a symbol of our faith in the trust we place in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection means eternal life for us. In hope, we desire eternal life and the graces to merit it. We are encouraged to better understand the meaning of eternal life and our heavenly destiny, and to prepare prudently.
My hope is, like driving a car on Hwy 1, our community may take up the journey to eternal life by way of hope and a spirit of wonder.
Peter Nobes is the director of Gardens of Gethsemani cemetery in Surrey.