The reward for faith

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebration of faith which was held today, an act of faith by a people of faith who entrust the soul of a beloved sister into the loving arms of the Lord.

Funeral homily for Lucille Petrolia

At the beginning of this celebration, Lucille’s grand-daughter Briana shared some of her most precious memories with us.  Among those memories were the many gatherings with family and friends in the home of Lucille and Louis.  Whether for pool parties in the summer months, for cooking adventures in the kitchen or for simple and sumptuous meals around the dining table, there will always be wonderful memories to be cherished of the time that each of you shared with Lucille.

Lucille also created many such memories with other members of her extended family, including teachers, school administrators and staff members who she was privileged to also refer to as members of her family and friends and of course there were many other acquaintances from the parish and the neighbourhood, each of whom can look back fondly on the many memories that were created with her.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of another banquet, perhaps not unlike one of Lucille’s creations, which awaits every one of us in heaven.  This celestial banquet, prepared by the Lord himself is waiting for us in the place where the mourning veils of our expectations and the shroud enwrapping us in the human tendency to be more concerned with our own interests than with those of others will be removed forever.  At the Lord’s banquet table, he will wipe away the tears from every cheek (cf Is 25:7-8) and will fill us with the overwhelming joy that awaits all people of faith.

Lucille’s family members, colleagues and friends have gathered in this church today to remember occasions when we have witnessed hints at the divine joy that awaits us all as you were gathered around her table, as you witnessed her tender care for young and innocent souls, as you came to know the endless resourcefulness with which she tackled every challenge placed before her.

We are also here today to reflect together on the many ways in which her life, the words she spoke and the example of faith she lived has had an influence on us.  Her entire life was lived with the knowledge that she was a precious child of God, and even now, she unites us once again around this table where the Lord himself has prepared a banquet for us to feast on.  This divine feast, composed of the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation, is the precious gift of our God, offered for all of us who are part of his beloved family: a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that we will know when we complete our journey of faith here on this earth.

Today, Jesus, our elder brother, unites us in prayer as we commend our sister Lucille into the loving arms of our God.  Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing the tender heart of this servant of God have been afforded a glimpse into the infinitely tender heart of Jesus who has always wanted his beloved disciples to be with him where he is, so that we might always see the glory God has given him … (Jn 17:24). The ultimate gift of love is the desire to never be separated from those we love.  This was Jesus’ desire for those he had gathered around him.   This is his desire for each of us: that we will all know the deep abiding love of the one who has been loved before the foundation of the world. 

Today, we celebrate together here because Lucille has finally been reunited with Jesus, the Son of God who has made the love of the Father known to us (Jn 17:26).  The love with which God first loved his divine son has now been confided to us.  Jesus lives in each one of us, and will always be with us until the day that we see Lucille again, united around the table where the divine banquet awaits us in heaven.