An Untold Eulogy

Gospel          
November 1, 2009  
All Saints Day          
Mt. 5:1-12

by Joan Lao

On this day, we remember and pay our respects to our relatives and friends who have gone ahead of us. It is not yet “All Souls’ Day”, but rather, today is “All Saints’ Day”. As I reflect on it however, perhaps, it is just right to commemorate our dearly departed dead on this day because we believe that they are already saints in heaven.

I believe that my dad too is now a saint in heaven. I shall not elaborate anymore on his passing away, but rather, I would like to give him due honor and respect for the life he lived.  

My dad was the simplest and most humble person I know. Though he managed his own business, he did not mind eating with people under him in nearby carinderias. He got along well with anybody regardless of social status, age or gender. He loved to joke around make everyone around him laugh. He was also a loving, generous and kind-hearted person, always willing to lend a hand and help anyone in need. These stories I heard when my dad passed away when one by one, I met the many people whose lives he touched when we was still alive. They all had the same thing to say about my dad, “Ang bait ng papa mo.”

It has now been eight years since his death, but until this day, I cannot but feel blessed to have a father like him. His love made God’s love something so tangible and easy to grasp. He was a loving father who always believed in the goodness of his child, never counting my faults but taking pride for even the smallest milestones in my life. No matter how busy he was, he never made me feel that he was. He gladly stopped everything that he was doing to take a walk with me to the bookstore or to a nearby shop.

Whatever I am today, I owe a huge part of it to my dad. Though he is not with us anymore, I am comforted by the promise of Jesus for those who are meek, pure in heart, and simply for those who love Jesus. I know that he is in heaven now watching over us. He lived a full and meaningful life. It makes me think, am I also storing up riches in heaven just like my dad?