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06 Dec 2015 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

I remember when my grandfather died, Nona dressed herself in black like many peasant women before her. It seemed that a year was the minimum amount of time for mourning that was considered acceptable. But she chose to spend the rest of her life in public wearing no other color. Men officially mourned by making sure that the ties they wore to church were respectfully black. Still there were no exact rules as to how long one had to continue to show their grief. It just needed to be a fitting length of time. So a wedding or a christening or even a birthday might signal a return to colorful floral print dresses and shiny silk ties. The prophets Baruch and Isaiah tell us that the world will soon be able to leave behind the sinfulness that isolates us and leaves us in mourning, to instead rejoice in the presence of the Messiah being in our midst and living among us. This will fill us with joy. No matter how we have sinned in the past, we will have the opportunity shortly to be robed in the glory of God’s love for us come alive on Christmas morning. Let’s prepare the colorful clothes and ready ourselves.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

joy mourning

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The age of virtual mourning dawns

10 Jun 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In sharing his final Passover meal with his disciples, as recounted in this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus was preparing them for his approaching death and offering words, gestures, and symbols that would sustain them in the difficult time ahead. Twenty centuries later technology has dramatically altered how people grieve and memorialize the dead. In this new era the bereaved readily share their sorrow via Facebook comments, light virtual candles on memorial websites, upload video tributes to YouTube, and extend sympathies via online funeral guest books.“It would be naive to assume that technology would leave the ‘death sector’ unaffected,” said Ari Zoldan, CEO of wireless-products provider Quantum Networks. “Technology has pervaded all aspects of our lives, and the honoring of our dearly departed is no exception.”Observers offer many examples of the emerging world of virtual grieving, such as streaming video of funeral services and mourners applying adhesive-backed barcodes or "QR code" chips to tombstones so visitors can pull up photos and videos with a scan of a smartphone. Those who want help remembering a yahrtzeit—the anniversary of a death in the Jewish faith—can sign up to get email reminders from websites such as ShivaConnect.com.The new mourning rituals come as society increasingly embraces all things digital. Nearly half of Americans own smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center. One in five own a tablet, up from one in 10 last year. Eight in 10 are on the Internet—and two-thirds of online users tap into social-media sites.“People are getting much more comfortable with multimedia,” said Elaine C. Haney, CEO of Tributes.com, an online publisher of local and national obituaries. “It's become simple for people of just about any age to use.”While the digital tools may be new, they still soothe age-old emotions, said Therese A. Rando, author of How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies. “Throughout history, we've memorialized people we've loved and lost,” she said. “These are not new needs. These are new ways of meeting the old needs.” Source: An article by Laura Petrecca for USA TODAY

mourning virtual grieving online funeral guest books shivaconnectcom ari zoldan tributescom therese a rando elaine c haney streaming video qr code grieving smart phones Technology barcodes

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Charleston: farewells, flags, and the aftermath

28 Jun 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living,” but evil interrupts the divine program, we hear in this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Wisdom. A week after Reverend Clementa Pinckney and eight others were fatally shot while engaged in Bible study at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, those slain are laid to rest and the nation engages in an emotional debate on the legacy of racism and the proper place of symbols such as the Confederate battle flag in the public square. Homily hint: How do we as a diverse and multicultural nation heal the breach? How do we overcome fear, hatred, bigotry, and the long legacy of racism? Family members of those slain in Charleston showed the way with their incredibly courageous statements of forgiveness to the troubled young man who took their loved ones’ lives. For more on the aftermath of the Charleston shooting, see: Mourners Pay Respects to Clementa Pinckney at South Carolina Statehouse; Some S.C. lawmakers say Confederate flag removal no sure thing

church Healing racism multiculturalism mourning and healing

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After biding time, Biden bids adieu to potential run

25 Oct 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s first reading, the Lord promises the people that he “will console them and guide them”; the time of tears is not forever. Joe Biden, still grieving the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in May, said that his heart guided him to a decision not to enter the race to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2016. With his wife, Jill, and President Barack Obama at his side in the White House Rose Garden during the emotion-filled announcement, Biden said the window of time to mount a successful campaign "has closed" during his period of mourning. Homily hint: The Biden family’s journey through grief has played out in public because of the question of his potential candidacy, but the deeper story here is that grief knows no schedule; grief has its own time and can’t be rushed. What we can all learn from the Biden saga is to give our own grief the time it needs to heal. For more on Biden’s decision, see: Joe Biden won't run for president; Biden won't run in 2016, boosting Clinton's White House hopes

mourning Grief biden loss

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Homily story of the week

06 Dec 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

I remember when my grandfather died, Nona dressed herself in black like many peasant women before her. It seemed that a year was the minimum amount of time for mourning that was considered acceptable. But she chose to spend the rest of her life in public wearing no other color. Men officially mourned by making sure that the ties they wore to church were respectfully black. Still there were no exact rules as to how long one had to continue to show their grief. It just needed to be a fitting length of time. So a wedding or a christening or even a birthday might signal a return to colorful floral print dresses and shiny silk ties. The prophets Baruch and Isaiah tell us that the world will soon be able to leave behind the sinfulness that isolates us and leaves us in mourning, to instead rejoice in the presence of the Messiah being in our midst and living among us. This will fill us with joy. No matter how we have sinned in the past, we will have the opportunity shortly to be robed in the glory of God’s love for us come alive on Christmas morning. Let’s prepare the colorful clothes and ready ourselves. Source: Exploring the Word for Sunday, December 6, 2015

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

mourning rejoice advent

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Homily stories

07 Dec 2008 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

Family members were on edge. A beloved aunt had died, and all her grown nieces and nephews were gathered in her home to figure out how to dispose of her lifetime of belongings. You could feel the tension in the room. Old hurts were close to the surface. Fear reigned in everyone’s heart as they worried that they would not get their due. And, though they didn’t realize it at the time, fueling all the fear and tension was the pain of having lost someone who had always loved them so well. Then cousin Ella held up a fancy old parasol. “Remember how she always used to bring this down to the beach when we were playing in the sand?” Chuckles filled the room and the fear began to evaporate. Fred chimed in, “And remember how she used to dress up so elegantly just to go play bingo?” Smiles and tears mingled as the stories tumbled out. A lifetime of stories, this was the real treasure to be shared. The scripture readings this week all deal with change–radical change. We are called upon to be like John the Baptist and “prepare the way of the Lord.” In our homes and workplaces we do that in many ways. It may be a gentle joke, an insightful comment, a request for forgiveness, standing up for truth, or even a gesture like a hug or a pat on the back. But in that moment, everything changes. The rough places have been made smooth.

Authors Tom McGrath

john the baptist Preparation death memories mourning

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Homily stories

08 Dec 2024 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

When my mom and my brothers and their families and I traveled to Italy together we visited Milan, Florence, and Rome. Mom especially enjoyed herself. We saved the last week to visit the town of her birth and the village where my deceased was born down the hill. There Mom changed, literally and physically. We met with my dad’s youngest brother who stayed behind to run the family farm. He greeted us wearing a rumpled white shirt with a clean black tie. Mom was wearing a simple black smock and black babushka, a far cry from the rest of the vacation outfits she had packed. We all embraced and kissed him and then Mom and he shared a long hug. For a few days he kept the tie on and Mom the dress and babushka. Mid-week, Mom brought me with her to his farmhouse. I was the family priest. The rest of my family went sightseeing. She brought a stack of photos with Dad in them. Uncle Mike had a few old, tattered photos of my dad before he came to America. They talked and cried and then laughed a lot. I said a prayer for Dad she translated for my uncle. Their time of mourning was officially over. Next day was a feast in a local restaurant, Mom dressed festively and Uncle Mike with a shiny red tie. With tears, now of joy, both toasted what we all hoped would be waiting for us in the future.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

mourning

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