By Stanislaus Alla
New Delhi, November 2, 2026: It took a long time to know that words such as “graveyard” or “cemetery” existed. As a child, I only heard of someone dying in the village or at a distant place.
Eventually, as a hosteler in the late 1970s, I attended Mass in the cemetery. I knew of some relatives who died at different places before Sister Death visited our house.
A nephew’s fall was the first, in a way. An elder brother’s death was the most shocking one that shattered the entire family forever.
The meaning of “home” changed forever with the deaths of mother and father. Elder sisters moved on to the other side, as well as brothers-in-law and another nephew. And many, many followed.
Similarly, the deaths of known ones—such as close friends and relatives, priests and sisters, teachers and students, kids and well-wishers—all began to strike a painful chord in the heart, reminding us little by little that we all are on an eternal journey, and that life and eternity are inseparably intertwined.
That “life is changed and not ended” in death, part of a prayer, is comforting and consoling. Almost all cultures and spiritualities long for a peaceful afterlife where there will be no tears, but only joy and peace.
I was always curious to know why “RIP” became so universal, endearing and popular. Is it because people lived restless lives, so they finally needed some rest, at least now?
For millennia, a majority of people died in wars, in violence, lonely or abandoned, and also suddenly (as young men, they died in wars or in conflicts; recall the popular belief that the guys and gals will roam around as spirits until they complete the given term).
Very few died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones after living a long and fruitful life.
Indic religions describe the afterlife using rich imagery: Saayujya, Saameepya, Saannidhya, Saarupya! It means, in the next life, we will be “united” with God, live “close” to God, be in the “presence” of God, and be “like” God. Marvelous are the ways our ancestors imagined it.
Catholic prayers are similar. Here are some:
“There we hope to enjoy forever the fullness of your glory;”
“when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes. For seeing you, our God, as you are, we shall be like you;”
“There, with the whole of creation, freed from the corruption of sin and death, may we glorify you;”
“made fully into a new creation, we shall sing to you;”
“Bring us to share with them the unending banquet of unity in a new heaven and a new earth;”
“we may come to an eternal dwelling place and live with you forever;”
“Admit them to rejoice in the light of your face,” etc.
May our dear ones be forgiven, purified and blessed so that they will live for eternity, being in God’s presence and interceding for us and for the well-being of all. More and more, we realize that life here and the afterlife are part of a magnificent continuum.
May we embrace our life on Earth as a unique and incredible gift, and live it with all the values and virtues that our cultures and spiritualities uphold and cherish so that we become everlasting gifts to God, our source and destiny.
Jesuit Father Stanislaus Alla holds a doctorate from Boston College. An internationally published writer specializing in ethics, he currently teaches at Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi. (Stan, SJ @ VJ)