I have a cousin who is a missionary priest in Guatamala. He is near retirement age, but does not want to come back to the States. He says the indigenous people he works with are his family now. He even wants to be buried there. How do other families of missionary priests handle that decision? Would it bother you not to be able to visit his grave?
2006-07-13 15:38:23 · 9 answers · asked by goldie 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am considering becoming a nun, and have looked into becoming a missionary. My family would miss me alot if I do that, but they would also understand that is what God wants of me. the families of priests and nuns make just as big a sacrifice as the priests/nuns do. The book "The Story of A Soul" written by St. Therese the Little flower, puts into perspective how having a son or daughter go into religious life affects the parents especially, but the family overall. I can't remember exactly how many daughters her father had exactly (maybe 5 or 6) but all but one of his daughters joined the religious life. imagine how lonely he must have felt to have all his daughters in a cloistered convent and never getting to have contact with them except through a grate when he could visit, and his wife dead too. my point is that most families have to learn to live with the decision that the person makes to become a priest/ nun. and if they can't/ won't come home, there's not much the family can do but ask him/her and explain why they want him/her home, and vice versa. but ultimately the decision lies with him/her on what to do. as far as not being able to visit his grave if i was a family member, it would be a bit sad, but another example i can give, is that i have an uncle that died in another state. i would like to visit his grave, but i can't, and that's something that i have had to accept. but what i do, is to try and talk to him, even if i can't visit his grave, i can still remember him, because when you die, it doesn't matter where you are. You can be talked to halfway around the world from where you're buried. It's more important for a family to remember a person than to be able to visit their grave. That family may not think so, but when you visit a grave, aren't you just remembering that person? Their body may remain in one place, but their spirit is everywhere. So even if you aren't capable of visiting a grave, you can still remember them, talk to them, and in doing so, even visit them, even if you can't physically visit their body.
2006-07-13 16:39:05 · answer #1 · answered by me 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a great-aunt who has been a missionary nun in Kenya for more than 30 years. She feels the same way as your cousin. The truth is people like that have dedicated their life to sacrifice and a cause, while the rest of us have gone about a "normal" life. They have probably grown closer to their colleagues and the people they help, than they are to us. It is selfish of us to want something so silly as to be able to visit their grave. Be proud of them and support them.
2006-07-13 15:44:30 · answer #2 · answered by 7 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why should it bother anyone to not visit a grave? Many people do not even get buried. Today many get cremated. When a person dies, his soul leaves. Graves, headstones etc is just a money gimmick.
2006-07-13 15:55:58 · answer #3 · answered by Shayna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It works in other ways as well...my wife(legal, btw) is from Brasil and lives here in the USA and her family has seen her twice since 1999...as it is not the cheapest flight in the world especially with kids, anyway..they would have to get a visa in order to see her grave...she will probably live the rest of her life here in the USA as she sees violence overtake her city and feels safer here.
So while her family misses her, they know that she is well taken care of.. Obviously she misses them and they miss her, but she has my family here as well as our kids...lives change and we adapt accordingly..it is equally difficult for those from the west coast to live on the east coast and vice versa...
2006-07-13 15:50:38 · answer #4 · answered by juanes addicion 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not family, but having been on misisons, i understand where your cousin is coming from. please, do not be angry or deeply hurt that he wants to stay in guatemala. it is a beautiful land, and the people there are so very poor. perhaps he feels he can best do good and serve in the fashion God has called him to by remainnig there.
personally, i am not worried abt graves. instead, i rejoice knowing i will see my family again in heaven.
2006-07-13 16:08:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is not uncommon. many missionaries, after a lifetime of living and working in another land, want to die there also. doesn't bother me. no problem respecting that.
2006-07-13 15:42:20 · answer #6 · answered by more than a hat rack 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One couldn't travel to Guatamala?
No matter. His choice.
2006-07-13 15:43:07 · answer #7 · answered by NickofTyme 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe he has a family there. So that's why he wants to be buried there....to be with his new family.
2006-07-13 15:43:37 · answer #8 · answered by psych0bug 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why can they not visit his grave?
2006-07-13 15:46:30 · answer #9 · answered by velvet 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋