The ALL SOULS DAY and the Pandemic: An Agony and the Hope

Unable to say goodbye, forbidden to take the last look, and now denied of a celebration of coming together, is an agony prolonging to families left by their dearly departed who lost to Covid-19. The grief remains at its sharpest since day one of their traumatic loss and until the day when they are supposed to unite with them in ways and rituals accorded to this time-honored All Souls Day tradition. The celebration of remembering them in festive manner with flowers, food and music is no longer possible with the pandemic-restricted gatherings, a harsh condition especially confronted by families pressed down hard by covid-19. Many of these families have not gone through the devastating pain of loss, of guilt, of blame over the death of a loved one whose death had not accompanied by funerals and wakes, and whose tragic death had never felt their touch and hugs in hospitals when gravely ill and dying. Letting go alone from the deathbed to the burial ground while they themselves cried to their deepest pains inside their isolation facilities, was an experience beyond description of any human language.

Remembering them on All Souls Day in limited expressions as curbed due to pandemic restrictions has become more deeply moving and a more private than collective tributes that may connect the living and the dead to a moment of silence and reflections.

Pope Francis asked each of us in his message to unite with the families in grief, and to “offer the grief to the Lord who is the great source of consolation.” He added that “today is a day for remembering and to hope for eternal life with God…the beauty of hope that awaits us, the hope that we will meet again.” It may not be easily understood but the grace of God enables us to find spiritual calm and healing into the fullness of hope. (Cynthia Chu)