Do you visit the grave of your ancestor or departed love ones annually?

Yes, I do, or try to, on Memorial Day, provided that the weather's decent or circumstances don't have me elsewhere.

I also remember them off and on during other times of the year, particularly if something reminds me of one of my loved ones. My grandmother loved watching songbirds, and cardinals and hummingbirds ALWAYS make me think of her.

And if I happen to be at the cemetery where my ancestors are buried for one reason or another, I will go and pay my respects, especially to my grandparents. It doesn't feel right to me to be there and not do so.

Is it wrong to visit graves?

Some Christians visit the graves of their dear ones on their death anniversaries or on special occasions to pay their homage. Others don’t turn that side once the burial is over. To support their viewpoint they quote the words of the angels who were standing at the open tomb of Jesus, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!" (Lk 24:5,6). But I wonder why several people belonging to the second category travel all the way to Palestine to see the Empty Tomb! Atleast Mary Magdalene and others had not known that Jesus had risen. But why oh why nearly 2000 years after His resurrection folks still want to visit that Tomb? There is yet another funny thing: There’s more than one tomb claimed to be that of Jesus! No one knows for sure which one was really occupied by His body!

The Bible has nothing to say against visiting a tomb in memory of the dead. In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter while talking about David said, "His tomb is with us to this day" (Acts 2:29). This obviously meant that they had been maintaining the tomb of David as a memorial. Whitewashing the tombstone was an annual routine (Mt 23:27). It was an accepted Jewish custom to visit tombs with spices for the bodies (Lk 24:1). In India we take flowers or incense sticks. If it is wrong to visit a grave, why should we build a structure at all over the pit?

I visit dad's grave once or twice every year. No doubt I weep when I stand before these graves, but the tears are mostly an offering of gratitude to God for what my parents had meant to me and my younger brother (Jn 11:31,35,36). I think of the values they had taught us and rededicate myself to practise them. I also pray that God would raise many such parents who would give away their firstborn for the Kingdom sake. Just like the material substance of bread and wine enables us to "remember" the Lord in a special way, visits to graves inspire us. Whenever I visit these cemeteries I also spend a few minutes before the tombs of great missionaries and notable saints who sleep there. Of the places I visited in England what remains fresh in my mind is the grave of John Bunyan and that of John Wesley. What an inspiration!

There are certain things we must not do while visiting graves. ÿ We cannot pray for the dead. "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Heb 9:27). There’s no second chance. Baptism for the dead was a non-apostolic practice, simply quoted by Paul to make his point (1 Cor 15:29). ÿ We should not pray to the dead also. The Bible strongly condemns any attempt to communicate with the dead. "Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isa 8:19c). ÿ Having sentimentality is not wrong, but ascribing sanctity to the place of burial will lead idolatrous practices. A dead man revived when his body touched the bones of Prophet Elisha (2 Ki 13:21). But in the case of Moses the greatest of all prophets, God buried his body in a place known to none. "No one knows his grave to this day" (Dt 34:5,6,10,11). Rare incidents do not teach anything normative.

When the Church of England slammed its door against John Wesley, he preached from his father’s tomb. God has used funeral sermons to break the hardest of hearts.

It was only a pagan belief that tombs were haunts for evil spirits. Both Gergesenes and Gadarenes were "Gentile" cities (Mt 8:28; Mk 5:1). One need not be afraid to visit cemeteries anytime, day or night.

NIce poem! Dear dead ones should be remembered all the time

I visit their graves as often as I can and bring them flowers

Because they meant the world to me

And I miss them much!

They are remembered anytime from anywhere . They remain unforgotten in our minds ...

Of course ,it is a pleasure to have the chance to have a look at their Resting Places . Yet it should not disturb the peace of our minds if we are not in a position to see their Resting Places ( of course every year in a ceremonious manner ) .May their souls Rest in Peace ( with God ) ... Amen ...!

I enjoy your poem about your Dad,it's special.

no I do not.I rest assured God is with them.

I believe personally to show love to those

you care for while they are here.

Death to me is a new start to some I know.

In God's grace on Earth,then in Heaven.

nope. since i believe that the Bible teaches that the dead aren't conscious of anything, it's no need for me to visit (Ecclesiastes 9:5,10). i just cherish the memories and reflect on good times w/o going to the grave.

Sometimes visiting a grave of a loved one can be a time of respect and remembrance, however, if you find yourself praying to that loved one you are entering into dangerous ground. God demands that we pray and worship only Him and as he created us and the world we live in it is only fair that we play by His rules. Because He gave us free will, He also provided a remedy for our souls when we fail to play by His rules, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. By placing your faith in Christ, you can experience true fulfillment. No, I do not visit the graves of my dead loved ones, but I honor their memories in my heart.

No. They're dead. Why didn't you show your respect for them while they were alive and could appreciate it?

NO. I visited my father's grave once, and my daughter's grave once. If I want to be with them, I pretend that we are having a conversation and pretend that it is a real experience. I believe that some of those experiences ARE real. Some are so vivid.

Nope, bones (or ashes) don't hold any tie to who the person was. If you want to remember them, you can do it anytime, anywhere.