Looking back at this experience now as an adult, I appreciate the richness of the Christian Tradition and of the Catholic faith, in offering prayers for the faithful departed. The Church, in Her Wisdom, sets aside an entire month – November – to honor and remember those who have been called from this world. The realization that life on this earth is temporal can only be brought to the forefront when faced with the death of someone within the immediate circle of family and friends. There is a unique communion between those living and those who have passed away, often filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and pain and the hope of life everlasting with God in Heaven. The loss of a loved one can bring about an empty void in the heart, feelings of sadness in not seeing them again, and fond memories of past events. Yet, even after death, the bonds that people have with one another are not truly broken. It is mentioned in the Preface of Christian Death I at Mass: “Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended.” These relational bonds between the living and the deceased now transcend space and time. No longer is the love limited by physical elements, but it enters into a spiritual realm, preceding the way to Heaven’s glory.