Today we celebrates my father's 48th day of his passing. Tomorrow will be 49th day. My mother cooked his favourite dishes and my brother bought his favourite food to pray to him.
Many years ago, before Jesus came, I would be scared that I would lost my parents one day. I always pray for their safety and for them to have a long life. I am scared that I would not be able to see them anymore should one day they died. However, after I had experienced 'death' and resurrection myself, I do not fear death anymore.
It was written in the scripture that Jesus died and resurrected. And in today's prayer at the columbarium, we had a reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians -- 1Thess 4:13-18
Believers Who Have Died: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Yes, I experienced it myself on that night of transcendence -- I was not sleeping. I was closing my eyes. Then at the point of transcendence, God came. My room was so filled with white light, so bright until even though I closed my eyes, my eyes could experience light. (No wonder St Paul's/Saul's eyes were blinded by the light of Jesus on the way to Damascus -- Acts 9:1-19 , for me I was so scared, I do not dare to open my eyes.) There were 3 flashes of light, and various sound I heard later on on both ears -- birds, dogs and wolves. After that it was victory at last with the blowing of the trumpet sound. It was dawn by then. Beside me was Richard, all asleep the whole while.
And my father often mention the words "Hock Wack" meaning Jesus 复活。 So I believe my father will be resurrected too.
This is a picture of me and my father. I must thank my sister for being the photographers for families events. Without her, I would have no memoir to keep. I must also thank my father for supporting me, paying all the education fees for my studies. And yet I had not repay him...
