Reflection on perpetual light, divina lúz, in the time of COVID-19

This, The Blessing Way column, is in dedication and in memoriam to all those in our area and in the world at large who have passed away from life, and to their families who remain in grief, mourning the loss of our loved ones. The lethal COVID-19 virus pandemic puts excruciating focus daily on a mounting death toll, and of course there are the great number who have passed on, from illness, by accident, by violence, as victims of war, by suicide and otherwise from an inexhaustible range of causes, including ‘natural’ death.

When our loved ones die, by whatever cause, their passing is mourned and most everyone tries in some way to comfort and help their families, as is only natural. We all know that an end to life in this world will come for every person, and we go on with our lives nevertheless knowing that there is an almost-unfathomable mystery in the process of life and existence. And part of the mystery is that most people live in the hope of a continuation of life in the future or in eternity in another form and in a different realm, after our present life as we know it is over on this world.

There is abundant evidence that the mystery of life does carry our existence past the end here, and most people pray and otherwise express our hope for the wellbeing of the souls of our fellow human beings in the world that comes after this one.

At some time or another, the name of every person now living will be memorialized. Except the names of those in the world who are forgotten even now while they are still living. For there are many who are born into our world with not even a chance at life, whose existence, either of very brief or somewhat longer duration, are simply not noticed by anyone else.

For all the deceased whose names will be memorialized and remembered, and for all the nameless and forgotten, of our brothers and sisters who have passed on, we say here: “All-powerful Creator, the Most High, whose mercy is never withheld from those who call on you in hope, look kindly on these and us, your children, at that appointed hour when we are freed from the bonds of mortality and granted everlasting life, and let your perpetual light shine upon us all.”

Some of us will be ready for that appointed hour. Some of us will not be ready. Some of us will be unafraid when the time comes.

Some of us will be very afraid of dying. I recall that at least one person, Manuelita Pacheco, was prepared and seemingly not afraid. When the actual moment came for her, she simply said, “‘bye” in a soft voice, and crossed over, having prepared herself spiritually.

But yet her family and friends, like the families and friends of all who have died and will die, the “survivors,” need consolation, comforting, reassurance and much support to deal with the loss of our loved one. It can be extremely difficult for our families.

It is all of course a very old story, the mystery, the questions, even the fear of death. In very ancient times the philosopher Socrates wrote this about the subject:

“To fear death is nothing other than to think oneself wise when one is not. For it is to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not even turn out to be one of the greatest blessings of human beings. And yet people fear it as if they know for certain it is the greatest evil.”

In fact there is by now much more knowledge about our dying and about the afterlife. There is a great wealth of reassurance through countless accounts and reports about the so-called neardeath experiences by people who have died and entered another and beautiful or pleasing realm (or, by the same token, a hellish one) but were ‘directed’ back to earthly life. These reports are from every religious and nonreligious experience, from every ethnic and cultural background, and from every spiritual persuasion, and at every stage and age in our history.

May the divine light, la Divina Lúz, illumine us the living, and may the perpetual light, la Luz Perpetua, shine upon our beloved deceased, as blessing of the Most High.