Undas at Home: How to honor your late loved ones

It's going to be another unusual Undas or All Saints’ and Souls’ Day this year as earlier this month, Metro Manila mayors have agreed to restrict access to public and private cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria from October 29 to November 2 in a bid to avoid superspreader events during the observance of Undas.

But being unable to visit the graves of our deceased loved ones doesn't mean we cannot honor them. 

“It’s very important that we actually look back to the lives of those who really mean to us, who are dear to us, people who mean a lot to us,” UP Church of the Risen Lord’s Rev. Callum Tabada said in an interview with GMA News Online.

He added, “Even if we are not allowed to go to the cemetery, what is important is we remember and celebrate them wherever we are. We can do that even in our homes, whether we’re travelling, whether we’re at our work. What is important is that we remember them.”

Tabada gave a few things we can do at home to honor them this Undas: 

Light a candle

Filipinos can light a candle at home and say a prayer to honor our departed loved ones. Similar to the past year, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Media Office will be opening Undas Online, a website where a prayer you can recite after lighting a candle will be provided. 

The site also provides an interactive multimedia page where you can light a candle on a picture by simply using your mouse.

Aside from lighting a candle, Undas Online also lets individuals offer masses for the departed through their prayer request portal.

Attend virtual mass

To serve Filipinos staying at home and to avoid mass gatherings, many churches have prepared virtual mass sessions for families and friends who wish to honor their departed loved ones.

Among the many churches holding online mass is Las Pinas City’s Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph will hold mass on November 1 and 2 at 7 a.m. via Facebook live.

Send virtual flowers through an app

St. Peter Life Plan and Chapels’ announced earlier this month that individuals can send virtual flowers, light virtual candles, and say a prayer for their loved ones through their St. Peter mobile app.

Available in IOS and Android devices, the app has its own online memorial community exclusive to St. Peter Chapels clients where families can leave tributes and messages. 

Offer a prayer

According to Rev. Tabada, we can remember our departed loved ones through prayer.

“We can do this by reading the Scripture. There’s so many things in the Scripture that will help us bring out this time of remembrance,” Tabada said. “For the Catholic tradition, there are prayers that can be used prepared by the church. For other denominations, they can ask their pastors for their prayers. They can also go ahead with their own prayers as long as the prayers could also help them in their remembrance for their beloved.”

Depending on tradition, Tabada said prayers are readily available online, much like CBCP's Undas Online.

Remember them with family and friends

“It doesn’t feel special if we simply remember them while lying down. It would be more memorable, more special if we do it together with family and friends,” the pastor said.

He added, “And particularly remember those times when we were with them in whatever way we were happy with them, we laughed together, we struggled together, we found joy, when we cried together, in whatever event we went through with them, those are the times we could remember when we come together as family or friends. And when we remember those times together, we remember the good, we remember the best things and we try to live it out in our lives today.”

Although we can’t go to the cemetery, Tabada said that we can use photos or items of the departed as remembrance.

“The things they owned before, we can use them as remembrance, not as things we worship, but as items of remembrance,” pastor said.

As Undas nears, Tabada shared that it’s important for the living to celebrate the lives of those who have touched ours.

“November 1 is a very special day for all of us, particularly in the Christian world because we have allocated that particular day to remember those who have gone ahead of us,” he said. “Let the celebration of All Saints’ Day be a celebration of life for all, not just for those who have gone ahead, but also our lives as Christians in the here and now as we go forward in the future.”

Tabada added, “As we remember those who have gone ahead, may we remember them thanking God for their lives as they have shown us to live in the present and the coming time.” — LA, GMA News