Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the funeral of a long-standing member of our parish who has now completed his journey.
Funeral homily for
Donald Allan Frankish
The family of faith gathers this morning, in this place
where we so often have come together before.
Each time we assemble here, our primary purpose is to give thanks to
God. At the dawn of life, we give thanks
to God for the birth of a child; at other times, we come to receive the special
nourishment that is provided as we partake in the Eucharistic feast, or as we
celebrate the Sacrament of God’s loving forgiveness; we come to this place with family and friends
to celebrate moments of great joy such as weddings, and we come as well to
celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise when one of our brothers or sisters
is welcomed into the heavenly home that is promised to each of us on the day of
our baptism.
So it is, dear friends, that we find ourselves here
today, gathered around the table of the Lord along with Vivianne, Clifford,
Kevin and their extended family. Even
though Sandra is unable to physically be present with us today, she is here in
spirit, offering her prayer along with us.
We have come to thank God for the gift of our brother Allan who stands before the judgment seat of God …
to give an account of himself (cf Rom
14:10-12). Can you imagine, just for a
moment, what kind of greeting Jesus is giving to our brother?
At another time in our history, when Jesus himself walked
on this earth, he tried to prepare his disciples for the moment when each of
them would have to stand before that judgment seat. He told them then: See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit … waiting
for your master to return … ready to open the door when he comes and knocks (Lk
12:35-36). This advice still holds true
for the disciples of our time. We too
are encouraged to be ready for action if and when the Lord should call. For many years, Allan and his family have
been part of this parish; for many years, they have taken part in the life of
this parish, celebrating in good times and also sharing their challenges with
those who have walked the journey by their sides. Even in his latter years, Al was still
literally standing at the door of this church, ready to open it so that others
could enter. He served for many years as
part of the team of sacristans who assist us with the celebration of the
Eucharist, and he always was very proud to do his part.
Jesus told his disciples that if the master finds his
servants awake when he comes, they will be rewarded: I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table
and wait on them (Lk 12:37). It is
perhaps a curious image to consider that our God should love us so deeply that
he would reverse the expected roles: that instead of expecting us to shower him
with thanksgiving for blessings we have received, he should reward us by
treating us as though we were the ones who deserved to be the focus of
attention, and yet this is precisely the reason why we gather to praise him
today. Our brother Al has completed his
earthly journey, and even though we may not be able to witness this great
moment of his being greeted at the doors of heaven with our own eyes, we trust
that as a reward for his faithful service, he is being seated at the great
banquet table that awaits us (cf Is 25:6).
Where once he would have been the one to joyfully greet a guest at his
table, Al is now being greeted by the Master, who himself is willing to serve.
We who gather around this table today rejoice in the
presence of our God, because our brother’s journey is now complete, but we
ourselves are still on our pilgrim way, so let us ask Al to pray for us, and
let us ask Our Lady to continue watching over us with her maternal care,
helping us always to be attentive to the ways in which we are being called to
serve. May her constant prayer inspire
us always to be dressed for action …
ready to open the door and to respond in charity and fraternity whenever a
brother or a sister needs our help, whenever the Master comes and knocks.
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