When my brother, Jeff, passed away in November 2009, my lifelong friend, Jim Power, celebrated the funeral mass with Scott Euvrard. Jim spoke one of the most beautiful homilies I had ever heard. I asked him for it. And, tonight, as Joes first angelversary is upon us, I feel it should be shared again. Please read this powerful homily. (Thank you, FP, for these beautiful words.) About 70 years ago Gilbert Keith Chesterton wrote a fable called The Coloured Lands. The story is about a young person who sets out from home to move to different parts of the world seeking a land whose color is the most beautiful of all. He finds a green land and he settles there for a while but then moves on to a red land and settles there for a while. In his search he travels through lands of all colors of the rainbow. Finally, after many years and tears he comes to the most beautiful colored land of all, to find that it is the home he left many years before. Another writer, T.S. Eliot echoes the same theme as The Coloured Lands. He writes...The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. What is the most beautiful color of all? We are Gods beautiful masterpiece. Thats where we start. There is something of the artist in the work of art. There is the presence of Gods colorful beauty within us. And the journey is to share that beauty with others. Your life is a story…my life is a story. And each one’s story is unique, interesting, joyful, challenging, and at times painful. Each of our lives is a story with some of the searching qualities of The Coloured Lands. We seek the fundamental yearnings of the human heart. We seek a sense of purpose and we seek a sense of loving connection. You and I are unique in all of human history. We never were before. Our story has a purpose. Each of us has something to say and something to offer human history. Our purpose tells us who we really are. What will be our contribution to human history? Will we be remembered 3,000 years from now? An Old Testament person named Micha offered an ideal script for a human story. He is remembered 3,000 years later. The author wrote “This is what Yahweh God asks of you, only this…to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.” It is a quality of love to want to be known… to tell the story…to share the story…and God shares God’s story with us. God’s story is unique, interesting, joyful, challenging, and at times painful. And it’s an ongoing story. God told God’s story to our ancestors in the Faith…the Chosen People. Its a story with real live characters who probably didnt know that they were part of Gods story and probably didnt even know that their words were part of the script. The Old Testament story is mostly about God leading the people from slavery to freedom. They were not to be owned by someone or something. It was a challenging journey. The journey from slavery to freedom was so difficult at times they wanted to return to slavery again. Over 2,000 years ago the attitude of the time was that all of life is here. The rewards were all here. A good life was a long life. The Book of Wisdom tells us differently, the just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. Death was considered the end of lifes story. The Book of Wisdom tells us that is a foolish notion. “The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them…in the view of the foolish they seemed dead and their going forth from us utter destruction. But they are in peace”. And the story goes on as gold in the furnace God proved them. Certainly, those close to Joe know that at times they stood near to the furnace but they knew that inside that furnace Joe had a heart of gold. Stories shared become one story…God shares God story with us. We have a part in God’s story. We are all characters in Gods story. Every day you and I write the script for our own character. The journey from slavery to freedom wasnt an end in itself. The journey to freedom continues as a journey to love. A fascinating quality in God’s story…it has no last chapter. And that gives us hope this day. The symbols of today…water, a reminder of Joes Baptism …white covering, the baptismal robe …the Easter Candle, a symbol of the Resurrection (and the candle dies a little to itself each time for the sake of light and for the sake of warmth.) …the lighted candle presented to his parents at his Baptism, symbolically encouraging Joe to share his light…to share his warmth to share his love. Over the centuries of human history artists have offered various images of God, in music, stained glass, paintings, and sculpture. St. John in one of his letters repeats a simple impression of God. God is Love, God is Love. Love never dies. And...LOVE SHARED NEVER DIES! LOVE SHARED NEVER DIES! JOEs LOVE NEVER DIES! We are experiencing a sad part of the story. But, we try, through sadness, to hear God’s story. What does God’s story tell us especially this day…“I am the resurrection and the life says the Lord...whoever believes in me, even if that person dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” There are many teachers here today. And the word of God is a challenging teacher. The Challenge? “Do you believe this?” What is the reward for our lifes efforts? St. Paul writes, “Eye has not seen, nor has any ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of anyone, all that God has prepared for those who love God.” In the book of Revelation we read… “They shall see the Lord face to face and bear God’s name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.” The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. Through our sadness and our tears, today in faith we say, Joe, your search is over. You found the most beautiful colored land. You have found peace. Welcome home.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 02:00:52 +0000
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