Mummification as practiced in the era of the pyramids of Egypt is an attempt to hold onto life as we know it. Surrounding the mummies are those things which accompanied them in this life. On All Souls’ Day we are attempting the opposite of mummification. We are recognizing the dead have passed from this world with all its attractions. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who famously described the stages of grief, subsequently wrote a book entitled, Death: The Final Stage of Growth. Death is not the enemy which tears us from what we hold dear but a necessary step in our growth as human beings, growth into a new and fuller life. As we remember our dearly departed we do so with blessed assurance in their new life.
