My mom’s side of the family has a family reunion every August.
I love going to the reunion. As a kid, I remember seeing so many people—hundreds. My grandpa comes from a family of 13, and the reunion’s origins go back to his parents (my great-grandparents), which makes the family tree even bigger.
This year was my first time attending a family reunion as a Catholic priest. I was honored to be asked to give the opening prayer, and I shared this message:
Before we pray, I want to share a short reflection. We have all noticed that the family reunion is smaller than it used to be. We have lost many loved ones before us. However, we must remember that as this family reunion appears smaller, it is because the Heavenly reunion is growing. Let us take a few moments to remember those we love whom we used to see at this reunion…(time in silence)…We pray that they may be in Heaven, and we look forward to joining them, in God’s time, in the Heavenly reunion.
Then we prayed grace before meals together.
Over time, the family reunion has decreased in size as the elderly have passed away. This is natural and is a part of life.
I think reunions (both family and class reunions) help us to understand the Eucharist and to prepare for Heaven.
Many saints saw the Eucharistic appearances (the bread and wine) as a teaching tool for what Jesus was doing. Bread requires much wheat to be brought together to form one loaf of bread, and wine requires many grapes to be crushed to create one bottle of wine. There is a movement of bringing together. The Eucharist brings us together. Hence the name Communion.
Reunions bring people together, too. Memories are shared, and we see those we have not seen in a while. The Eucharist is similar: it really is a memorial of Jesus, a remembering of who He is and what He did for us (dying on the Cross). However, the remembrance in the Eucharist is a hyper-remembrance because Jesus in the Mass makes the Cross present again, a re-presentation (see Catechism 1366).
How do reunions (either family or class reunions) then help prepare us for Heaven?
Jesus understood that communion can be challenging. However, similarly to how the Eucharist brings people together, a reunion also brings people together.
Reunions bring us together amidst the difficulties.
Every family and high school class has its difficulties. However, we were made for communion. Heaven will be together; it will not be a place of isolation. Remember when Jesus told the Penitent Thief on the cross, “…you will be with me in Paradise.” God challenges us to be persons of communion, and reunions are an excellent place to practice this, as hard as it may be.
Reunions can be a place of forgiveness.
There are moments in the Mass when we are called to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. Think of the words at the beginning of Mass: “Brothers and Sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” Later in the Mass, we pray these words during the Our Father: “…as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Reunions can be a good place to ask for forgiveness and to forgive.
Reunions also challenge us to remember.
Stories are shared, and we realize we are part of a bigger story. Regarding family reunions, we move our mindset from one side of the family to the entire family tree. In the Eucharist, we also realize that we are part of a bigger story: a covenantal story extending back to Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the Apostles, and then to us.
At the Last Supper, Jesus told His Apostles, “Do this in memory of Me.” In other words, remembering matters. Both family and class reunions, similar to the celebration of the Eucharist, train us to remember.
Reunions give us an opportunity to choose to be with others.
The most significant way that reunions help us prepare for Heaven is that we choose to be with others. To be a Eucharistic person means to be with others, and to be in Heaven means to be with others forever.
Reunions and the Eucharist can help prepare us for Heaven by helping us to grow as persons of communion.
I encourage each reader to pray about attending a reunion (either family or class). It does not mean one has to go, but rather to pray about it - to bring the topic to Jesus. Also, maybe God is calling a few of the readers to help start a reunion for their family, class, place of work, or another group.
+ Fr. Luke Daghir
*Special thanks to my Aunt Jenn for photos of this year’s reunion and years prior.