Ghosts, Graves and Cemeteries

SCRIPTURE:

“O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

“And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

“And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.”

–2 Nephi 9:10 - 12

Death and Dying are Central Themes

for Remembering our Dead in Holiday Celebrations

            Usually when Halloween approaches we find ourselves deciding upon costumes for ourselves and our children, buying candy to give out as treats, decorating our homes, carving pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns, visiting haunted attractions, bobbing for apples, telling scary stories and watching a lot of horror movies. My mom used to dress up to greet the kids at the door (often scaring them a bit) and then after we were all tucked in for the night would go to visit and party with neighborhood friends. She always decorated the front door and porch area. This was at a time in the 1950’s when not many were doing this, so our house became a sure stop for trick-or-treaters.

            The word Halloween comes from All-Hallows-Even (evening) or the night before all Hallow’s Day or All Saints Day. Trick or treating –resembles a late medieval practice of “souling” when the poor would go door to door on Hallowmas (Nov.1) receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (Nov. 2). This tradition of trick-or-treating was called “Guising” in Scotland and Ireland –children disguised in costume would go door to door for cakes, fruit or money, often carrying a lantern carved from a turnip to light the way (1895). Today’s U. S. tradition began about 1930 although mention of parts come as early as 1911. 

The Grim Reaper by autistic boy in Tucson

            When I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico in the late 1990’s, I was surprised to find children celebrating a typical U.S. style Halloween with costumes, trick or treating , and gathering great bags of candy. I was surprised because the most popular and traditional celebration in Mexico is called the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). This is where family and friends gather on the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov.2) to pray for family members who have died. In remembrance of a specific deceased person, they will build private altars using marigold flowers, photos, memorabilia and sugar skulls then prepare the deceased person’s favorite foods and beverages. They take these gifts to the grave site of their ancestor. This three day event finds families cleaning the graves and cemeteries before they decorate. Then the celebrations take over. Some have picnics or even spend the night beside the graves of their ancestors telling humorous events and stories about the departed.

Day of the Dead Offerings in Mexico

Decorating Ancestors Graves in Mexico

Similarly themed traditions and holidays appear all over the world. Some of these include Bon Festival in Japan; Chuseok or Hangawi in Korea; Ching Ming and pin yin in China; Gai Jatra in Nepal. Brazil and Spain also celebrate similar to Mexico. African cultures have bits and parts of this celebration or remembering of the dead in ceremonies spread throughout the year.

The anniversary of this little boy's birth is remembered

This is the memorial of Cooper Hamblin Koffer - What Fun!

Located in East Lawn Cemetery, Provo, UT

           

MY QUESTION FOR YOU: Will you remember a deceased person this week? You might take a moment to think of your ancestors or those who have recently died in your circle of family and friends. Will you write a humorous memory about them or a story that will entertain their descendants for years to come? Or perhaps you will find someone on this date was born, died or was married in your genealogies.

MY SUGGESTION: Read the Bible Dictionary description of Death and ponder the two deaths described. Death and dying are part of the Plan of Salvation. Physical dying must come to us all. I call this an ordinance date for it is one of three dates that we record for identifying a specific person in our family history research to prepare them for submission for temple ordinances. We can not provide this work for a deceased person before they have been dead for exactly one year. Our responsibilities also are for our own direct ancestors first; these usually take us back about 100 years. 

As we ponder our own mortality we, as Latter-day Saints, must surely think about the consequence of our own sins for we do indeed make our own spiritual death by our works, our thoughts and our actions. It is this spiritual death that the world worries so much about. Granted, we sorrow and mourn for our dead. We miss them and think about them. What a glorious and joyful light has broken upon the world with the restoration of the gospel and the saving ordinances performed for our dead. The rest of the world is focused on the grave. We are focused on the Resurrection and the promise and hope of eternal life.

           

QUOTE:  “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” –by William Wordsworth

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Shades of the prison-house begin to close

Upon the growing Boy,

But He beholds the light, and whence it flows,

He sees it in his joy;

The Youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is Nature's Priest,

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended;

At length the Man perceives it die away,

And fade into the light of common day.

THOUGHT:  Our birth is indeed a sleep and a forgetting; and we do enter this earthly body trailing clouds of glory, just ask any parent who has looked upon a newborn baby. Our Father in Heaven must say good bye to us for a small season when we come down to live upon the earth. He watches over us, rejoices in our repentance, baptism and our obedience to his commandments. He delights in our diligent prayers and scripture study. He wants us to succeed so that when we die, we return to Him having lived a righteous life from youth to the end. Our death to Him is a joyful reunion, for we are his heirs and he will give us the greatest of all treats when we knock upon His door, that of eternal life and the promise of “all that he has.”

In your patriarchal blessing do you  find such phrases as “rightful inheritance in the promised land”, “binding  for time and all eternity”, “a kingdom that shall never fail”, “a place in the celestial kingdom” or “come forth in the morning of the first resurrection to receive an inheritance”?  These phrases will be a comfort to you and a reminder to reverence the Lord, and provide for your ancestors the opportunities and blessings they did not have when they lived here upon the earth.  

Death or dying is the gateway to these wonderful promises

Why I go to church

     Yesterday was a perfect example of why I love going to church. Speaking frankly, I‘ve been a little depressed lately. But there was never any question about whether I would attend our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where we have a three hour block of meetings (mine begins at 1pm and goes to 4pm) beginning with sacrament meeting where we partake of bread and water in the name of Jesus Christ and covenant to remember him and his atoning sacrifice; next comes Sunday School where various age groups meet together in a course of study (as an adult I attend the Gospel Doctrine class); finally we break into Priesthood for the men, Relief Society for the women, the youth ages 12-17 attend Young Men or Young Women, and the children ages 3 to 11 attend Primary (little ones 18 months to 3 go to the Nursery) which began an hour earlier.

     Now you will understand what I am talking about, these terms being defined.

In my Sunday Meetings I asked Myself this Question:

“What should I be doing NOW to accomplish the work God has entrusted to me?”

     During the sacrament, I determined to repent of my depressed state and begin to find joy in my life again. I covenanted to humble myself before God and to repent of recent behavior patterns that have weakened my spiritual strengths and gifts.

     I have determined to begin with might prayers. I had become so sad and depressed over my inability to work out the Hicks of Baltimore Maryland Family Groups, as well as not being able to remember things that I’d previously read or done during research of this surname.

     Also, I’ve felt such a failure in my own family because my daughter and her husband won’t even entertain the possibility that this is the Lord’s church and thus could perish in their unbelief. I love my daughter and her hard heartedness breaks by own heart.

     Thirdly, I’ve spent too much time on things that have less eternal value, often choosing good over better or best. Fourth I’ve gained 30 lbs back, my clothes are not fitting, my legs have swollen and my knees are killing me.

     The only way to break this chain that physically binds me, is to rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ…. His gift to me, and all of us who find ourselves up against tough circumstances. I can’t do this alone, apparently. I must beg Him to help me. Thus, I turn to mighty prayer.

Sundays Lesson from a Prophet, Lorenzo Snow, Spoken in the 1880’s

     Lorenzo Snow says, “It is now time for Latter-day Saints to humble themselves before the Almighty… to find out wherein they have committed themselves; …and to repent of their sins and follies and call upon the Almighty, that His aid may be given;… that we may go forward and accomplish the great work entrusted to our care.”

     Does this sound familiar. You see how Sunday’s lessons infiltrated my mind. Now begin to see how today I saw God’s hand in my life.

     During the Sacrament I determined to begin praying more, reading and studying the scriptures more diligently (for sometimes weeks go by where I’ve only glanced at or read a few verses); and write in my journal and begin again to write here in my blog. I’d become discouraged about the blog because what I am interested in, most others aren’t.

Now You Will Hear Me Boo Hooing!

     I miss my late husband, Bob. I’m in a home in the desert and not one by my beloved ocean. My car is old. My body is old. And it appears that I have very little influence in other people’s lives.

     So Lorenzo Snow’s words, “We are engaged in the work of God. The prospects before us are glorious, but let us be impressed, in every work of our hands, that we are the servants of God and doing His will. Let not our integrity be impaired, but our faith be continually increased as we proceed through life” lift my Spirit, continuing he and I, too, “….would (will) be satisfied to act where Providence has placed me, and ask God, the Lord, what I can do to aid in building up the kingdom of God in that place.”

“Move on! Move on, and see the salvation of the Lord.”

     This morning I see God speaking to me through the scriptures when I first opened them my eyes fell upon this verse that I’d highlighted in Doctrine and Covenants 25:10 given to encourage and reveal God’s will to Emma Smith, the Prophet’s wife: “And verily, I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.”

“Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”

     I then turned to Luke 12:31 JST “Therefore seek ye to bring forth the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you…” and in verse 33 “… provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.”

     In Jacob 2,  I found a wonderful discourse on seeking not after the things of this world, but to seek after your treasures in heaven.]

     “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry, and liberate the captive (whether someone bound by chains of sin via missionary work, or captives in spirit prison via temple ordinances for the dead) and administer relief to the sick and afflicted.”

Remembering the Stories of Our Forefathers

     Then, as I turned to Helaman 5, where I’d left off reading previously in the Book of Mormon, I find Helaman talking to his sons, Nephi and Lehi, “Behold I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how it was said, and also written that they were good.”

     “Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written, even as it has been said and written of them.”

     Oh, my goodness, we’ve been asked to record the stories about our ancestors that make them come alive, and try to find the good!

     Helaman continues, “And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves A TREASURE IN HEAVEN, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea that ye may have that precious gift of etrnal life.”

     “…Yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea remember that he cometh to redeem the world.”

Remembering the Savior

     This is such an important principle that Jesus Christ tells us this very thing when he appears to the Nephites at their temple in Bountiful on this continent after His resurrection. He first shows them how to pray (The Lord’s Prayer; and how to pray properly) then he says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; “

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

     To answer the question of what should I be doing NOW to accomplish the work God has specifically entrusted to me, I reread my patriarchal blessing and know that I must refocus my efforts in these areas:

1.     Pray often and fervently

2.   Diligently read and study the scriptures

3.    Be an influence for good among my fellow associates and friends

4.    Bring to pass much righteousness upon the earth

5.    Finally, continue in my calling helping others find their ancestors, as well as my own, and as my blessings states that I “will not rest until I do all within my power to seek out my forefathers and perform for them a work they cannot do for themselves.,” These are the opportunities and blessings that I enjoy as being a member of the Lord’s Church

     See why I go to church? 

    I go to receive guidance from the Holy Spirit through inspired teachers who prepare prayerfully, material that our prophet and apostles have reviewed in correlation meetings, to come forth in the Lord’s good timing. It is like reading the Scriptures… they reveal just what you need to hear to help you in life right when you need it.