Thoughts of Death, Prayers for Peace

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So comes November, when the Catholic Church commemorates those who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith. On Nov. 1 we celebrate All Saints’ Day, dedicated to the saints, of the Church, known and unknown; the following day is the Feast of All Souls, when we pray for all those who have not yet attained heaven. At this time, too, we see many people observing the Hispanic tradition of Dia de los Muertos, building altars to honor their friends and family members who have died. In much the way, parishes often have a Book of the Dead or other similar memorial that allows members of the community to inscribe the names or post photos of their deceased loved ones to be remembered.

For poets, too, November is a time to reflect on death, mostly of the natural world but also their own. Emily Dickinson said that “the recollecting of Bloom / Keeps making November difficult,” and she feared losing her way and perishing of the cold. Similarly, Robert Frost wrote of “the desolate, deserted trees / The faded earth / the heavy sky” of “bare November days.” Then there’s Samuel Longfellow, writing that “The winds and frosts have stripped the woodlands bare, save for some clinging foliage here and there,” which he compares to an aging person.

In both these traditions, that of our faith and that of the poets, there is an acknowledgement that death is part of the cycle of life. For us Catholics, there also is the hope of a new heaven and a new earth.

What neither the Church nor the poets address, though, is the onslaught of death we’re seeing in today’s world. The last weekend of October saw 13 mass shootings in the United States, with “mass shooting” defined as an incident in which four or more people were wounded or killed. Then there are the wars: Israel is dominating the headlines, but the Ukrainians are still battling the Russians who invaded more than a year ago. Also, though American media tends to give it little play, there’s been a civil war in Sudan for more than six months, gang warfare escalating in Haiti and ongoing conflicts in Myanmar, all among the more than 110 armed conflicts in the world today, according to  the Geneva Academy.

Pope Francis called for a worldwide day of prayer for peace on Oct. 27, and Our Sunday Visitor reported that Catholics throughout the U.S. responded. I was among those who fasted and prayed, but although I believe in the power of prayer I battled the entire day with a feeling of hopelessness that this world will ever see any meaningful peace.

I am past the point where I think that prayers are the only response to the violence. I don’t know what the answer is, but I am appalled that the leaders of our nation aren’t trying to find one. We have government-funded organizations that search for cures for diseases that kill us; why aren’t we researching ways to stop gun-related deaths? Surely there must be some way to reduce the violence.

Meanwhile, I am doing my small part to bring peace to the world, not only through prayer but with small gestures in everyday life – allowing someone with only a few items ahead of me in line at the grocery store, offering a smile when I catch someone’s eye, giving a compliment. These do nothing for the global pandemic of violence, but perhaps like yeast they will spread the leaven of kindness and maybe prevent a hardening of heart in someone.

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic.  Reach her at marie@icatholic.org.