“A Candle for the Departed: A Prayer for Peace, Remembrance, and the Saints”

Today, I lit a candle.
Not out of tradition, but out of longing.
Not out of duty, but out of deep remembrance.

In a quiet sanctuary, I stood in prayer—
For my father, Joseph Blessing,
For my brother, James Tinashe,
For Pope Francis, whose humility and heart touched the world,
And for every soul who has walked into the mystery of eternity.

I felt the silence stretch beyond the walls,
into the arms of heaven itself.
And I asked the saints—those known and unknown—
to intercede, to carry our prayers like soft incense before the throne of grace.

✨ Prayer of Remembrance and Intercession

O Lord of Light and Mercy,
We lift to You all the dearly departed,
especially Joseph Blessing, James Tinashe, and Pope Francis.

May their souls rest in Your eternal peace.
May their memories be a blessing upon us.
And may Your mercy flow like a river over every soul who has passed,
whether remembered by many or mourned in quiet solitude.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Saint Joseph, guardian of the weary,
Saint Francis of Assisi, friend of the humble,
and all the saints—
pray for us.
Pray for the souls of the departed.
Pray for the living who are learning to carry grief and grace in the same hands.

Let the light of this candle burn as a witness:
That love does not end.
That faith carries us forward.
And that heaven is never far
from the heart that still believes.

Amen.