UST SECRETARY General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. has called on Thomasians to overcome pain stemming from death with love, reminding them that their separation with their departed loved ones is just temporary.
In his homily during the mass for the deceased members of the Thomasian community on Friday, Nov. 8, Coronel said pain is a price humans willingly pay because of their bond with those who passed on.
He added that death does not remove the link between the living and their departed loved ones.
“We are not made for separation, we are made for eternal communion… The communion of saints reminds us that we are still connected with our departed loved ones. They live with God’s presence, and because of that, they are more closer to us than ever,” Coronel said at the Santisimo Rosario Parish.
“From our grief, it is important to remember that saying goodbye is not meant to be easy. Our pain is the price of love and a price that we willingly pay because they meant so much to us. Even though pain is real, it does not have the last word,” he added.
Emphasizing that parting is simply a temporary state of sorrow, Coronel shared the story of how Jesus still wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus before raising him from the dead. The secretary general added that grief is a sign of love, not weakness.
“Kaya tayo ay nasasaktan dahil tayo ay nagmamahal (We get hurt because we love). Jesus shows us that it’s okay to mourn, to feel the pain of parting, yet the Lord Jesus shows us that this parting is not the end,” he said.
According to Coronel, God granted humans the gift of memory as a reminder to hold on to their loved ones for eternity.
“We need reminders not just to stay grounded in our faith, but to hold close to the people and experiences that have formed us. God has given us the gift of memory because love is not bound by time. Through remembrance, they live on,” the Dominican priest said.
Coronel noted that while love demands permanence, separation on earth is inevitable and should be endured with hope, patience and celebration.
“One day, in God’s time, we will meet again face to face, heart to heart, in the place where every tear will be wiped away. Until that day comes, we remember them with love, we honor them with prayer, and we live in the hope that love never dies. We remember, we celebrate, we believe,” he added.
The UST Center for Campus Ministry and Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs organized the mass, which honored departed Thomasians and their loved ones. F — Christian Querol
