By Father Peter Choy Wai-man
Recently, I heard a touching story about a young girl who visited her grandmother in a care home. Due to her dementia, the grandmother completely forgot who the girl was. When she asked, “What is your name?” the girl smiled and replied, “My name is Chan Sau-mei.” The grandmother responded with a beaming smile, saying, “I have a granddaughter who is six or seven years old named Chan Sau-mei!” With tears in her eyes, the girl asked, “Do you not recognise me?” Confused, the grandmother replied, “I do not.”
Despite the fact that her memory was locked on her granddaughter as a six or seven-year-old, the bond of love remained deeply cherished.
Love is not forgotten; it is merely obscured by time. A friend expressed a similar feeling regarding her visit to her aunt, who has dementia, after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her aunt did not recognise her and thought that the person in front of her was her mother. She kept calling out to see her beloved niece, the very person standing right before her! In that moment, my friend felt a conflicting blend of emotions; on one hand, she was saddened by her aunt’s loss of memory, but on the other, she felt gratitude for the enduring presence of love.
The Church’s remembrance of the deceased on All Souls’ Day does not simply evoke nostalgia for our departed loved ones; it affirms a truth of faith—death cannot sever the love of God, nor can it break the bonds of love that connect us.
We remember those who have gone ahead of us—parents, elders, priests, nuns, and friends who have served the Church. They may no longer be beside us, and their names may begin to fade, but before God, their names are still remembered. Their faith and love in Christ form the very foundation of our faith today.
Just as that grandmother may have forgotten her granddaughter’s appearance, yet still remembered her name and laughter, so God remembers us. When we think we are separated by time, life, or even death, God proclaims, “I have not forgotten you.”
During their time on earth, they may have endured pain, aging, forgetfulness, and even parting. But in heaven, their memories do not fade, and their love is never forgotten.
In God’s embrace, they are completely remembered, healed, and loved.
All Souls’ Day serves to remind us that while people may vanish with the passage of time, our connections of love endure. As the Bible says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” [Revelation 14:13]. We remember our departed loved ones not simply for nostalgia, but to renew our faith—to continue living in love and walking forward in faith. When we live in love, we remain connected with those who are already in eternal rest, for we share the same Saviour.
Perhaps one day, we too will gradually forget many names and faces, yet God’s love will never fade. He says, “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you” [Jeremiah 31:3]
Let us give thanks for our loved ones who have found peace in the Lord’s embrace. Let us believe:
• Death cannot sever our connection with heaven;
• Love can transcend the mists of memory and the distances of time;
• In Christ’s love, we find the path to reunite with those we cherish.
May the Lord’s love bring us together with our loved ones once more, not in memory, but in eternity.
