Man is a relational being. He grows with others, he flourishes thanks to them. He suffers with them and weeps because of them. Since ancient times, man has remained a mystery to himself and to his fellow creatures. As Plautus…
What is the use of praying, when we have been praying for years and feel we are not being answered? In the program Sanctuaires normands, broadcast on RCF Orne-Calvados-Manche, Father Charles Lenoir, chaplain at the shrine of Notre-Dame de Montligeon,…
Is there an end to mourning? How can we come to the realization that a loved one is gone without denying their death nor hushing up the pain? Drawing on his experience as a counselor with bereaved persons at the…
“Expectant hope goes much further than just tomorrow morning.” We use the term ‘hope‘ widely when we expect some improvement or some positive outcome. Yet, in the Christian faith, there is a clear distinction between hope and expectant hope. At…
The French poet Lamartine wrote: “One being is missing and every place feels empty”. Those words have a profound echo for those who experience absence, silence, the void left by someone they loved. Is it really possible to achieve the…
What should we choose for funerals, a Mass or just a blessing? Less than half of the French wish to have a religious service for their own obsequies. Still, when a loved-one dies, the question of choosing between a Mass…
Mankind has been fascinated with the idea of communicating with the dead since the dawn of time. From shamanic practices to ancient societies through spiritualism sessions in the 19th century or recent apps imitating the voice of the deceased, this…
Does love end at death, or can it continue beyond physical separation?How can we go on living after the loss of a loved one? Can we still love the person with whom we shared daily life, intimacy and flesh for…
One of the lyrics of a song by Michel Berger goes like this: “Je m’en irai courir dans le paradis blanc, loin des regards de haine et des combats de sang” [I will go run across the white paradise, far…
Do we have a mutual connection in good as well as in evil? Do our actions influence only our own lives, or do they also affect the lives of others, including the dead?