Reading

At my grandmother's funeral, I was asked to do a reading. Well, in a roundabout way...my cousin who was supposed to do it chose not to. Anyway, I read the first reading and it has been something I have not been able to get out of my head. There have been lots of Bible quotes that I have heard throughout my life, but this one really stuck with me:

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going forth from us, utter destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace, he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering, he accepted them.
In the time of their visitation, they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them forever.
Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

~Wisdom 3:1-9.