There are so many important dates in our lives that we commemorate each year: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc... We are convinced that every celebration must be a happy one and there's one day that we don't want to remember to, which is the Feast of The Departed Faithful. Some of us haven't heard of this saddening celebration and some of us might not want to know about it.

Last Friday, February 24, 2017, every Chaldean Catholic Church in Michigan and around the world celebrated The Feast of The Departed Faithful. This is a holy day to honor the dead, to pray for them, and to keep them in our memories. It is imperative as Catholics to pray for the dead because we believe that a dead soul can go to one of the three places: Heaven (dying in perfect communion with the Lord), Hell (dying in a state of moral sin), or Purgatory (dying free of mortal sin but with lesser sin). We all want our loving departed ones to end up in a beautiful place where they are watching over us and praying for us with the Lord. They need us to pray for them to end up with the Lord just as much as we need them to watch over us.

Think of all the people that you lost. Do you ever wonder where they are now? We want them to be in Heaven and the prayers of the earthly living people help the dead to be cleansed of sin so they may enter Heaven. Those who are in Purgatory especially need our prayers so they may enter Heaven. When people die, we don't think of how their souls need us. Our sadness of their departure blinds us and we only focus on our pain. This day has a purpose and it's to remind us that we are to celebrate every year for all dead with the intention of praying for them so that ending up in hell may be avoided for them.

The Feast of The Faithful Departed day reminds me of something very important. The fact that the dead need us to pray for them so they may enter Heaven is a mind-boggling. This means that God needs us to complete His work. We always appear to think that God doesn't need us at all but the truth is we are very important to Him. God needs each one of us. He wants us to communicate with him through prayers and by telling Him everything. When we think that we are unworthy of asking from God we are making him sad because He does wants us to ask and speak to him. God wants us each one of us to know that He loves us and that He never belittles us.

Eventually, everyone dies and leaves this Earth. Being alive is a gift from God and we are to cherish this gift. Our earthly existence is God's mission for us to prepare us for the next life with Him. Make this life of yours a life to remember when you are in the next one. Do good deeds no matter what temptations come your way. I believe that every person is aware of what is good and what is evil; so, strive yourself to go after the good things and sprint away from anything that gives you the feeling of it being wrong. Pray for other and God will arrange others pray for you.