In the funeral liturgy one of the prayers that is said ends this way. "Merciful Lord, turn towards us and listen to our prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith, until we all meet in Christ and are with you and with our brother/sister for ever."

One of things we sometimes fail to remember at the death of a love ones is that they are still living. If they died in Christ, they are with Christ. If we die in Christ, we shall also be with Christ and with them. We shall see them once more, sharing in the life of Christ eternally. I believe that at death the first person we will see is God, waiting to welcome us into his presence. And there with God will be our loved ones, waiting to welcome us into the joys of eternity. What a party that will be! What stories that will be shared!

It is this aspect of our Christian faith that gives us hope and peace at the time of the death of loved ones. After we mourn our lost, we should cling to the hope of seeing each other again face to face.