From one Kingdom to another

Earlier this week, we received word of the death of one of our eldest parishioners.  Today, we celebrated the funeral liturgy for our beloved brother.

Funeral homily for Ronald Cater

Friends, family members, colleagues and fellow pilgrims who have shared various parts of the journey through life with our brother Ron have gathered here this morning to look back upon all that we have shared with him, and to peer into the heavenly realm, the place where we can only see by faith, the place where he now sees with perfect vision, in company with his beloved wife Lorraine and with all those who have preceded us to the Kingdom of heaven.

Ron’s earthly journey began in the city of Threxton, north-east of London (England).  As a young man he joined the Royal Air Force.  During the Second Great War, he came to Canada and, though he could have chosen another profession, elected rather to enlist with the Royal Canadian Air Force.  It was in New Brunswick that he met Lorraine.  They were married and together they had three beautiful daughters and two sons.

Many who have known Ron in this life can tell stories about the adventures he lived, about the struggles he endured and about the joys he knew, but we have gathered here because today we celebrate the fulfillment of a promise that was made to him a very long time ago: on the day of his baptism.  On that day, God began to speak with Ron, to instruct him and to teach him how precious he is.  Even before he realized it, God had anointed him … and sent him to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners (Is 61:1).  This is the privilege entrusted to all the Lord’s beloved children.  First, we are shown the great gifts of freedom and abiding love in our own lives, and then we are commissioned by our God to proclaim these truths to others.

In the earlier years of his life, perhaps Ron did not recognize the commission that had been entrusted to him by the Lord, but in time, as he began his military service, he would undoubtedly have known times when he himself was being poured out as a libation (2 Tim 4:6) in service to those who are privileged to enjoy the freedoms that are won.  It is perhaps by providence that we are here, just days after the anniversary of the armistice, to entrust Ron’s eternal soul into the loving arms of our God.  He who has fought the good fight has now finished the race (cf 2 Tim 4:7).  All along, he has kept the faith so now he receives the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:8).

At the gates of heaven, he now hears the voice of our loving and merciful God speaking words that he has come to know only too well.  We ourselves have heard these words spoken today, and in our turn, we too must now use them as guides for the way that we respond to God’s undying love for us, his children:

Blessed are you who are poor in spirit (Mt 5:3).  A life of faith is only possible for those who have come to understand that all we have is gift, and that the gifts we have received must be used for the good of others.  This is the true meaning of poverty of spirit, and in return for his poverty, Ron is rewarded with eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you who are meek.  Anyone who knew Ron, especially in the latter years of his life, can attest to the fact that he was a very humble man.  Every Sunday, even before the doors of this church had been unlocked, he would be sitting in his car, waiting to come in and to pray.  Many such prayers issued silently from his lips, the fruit of a docility of spirit that comes only with an ongoing life of faith.

Each of the Beatitudes is a characteristic that can be found in the hearts of those who strive to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  Through them, we are all given a gauge by which we can measure the progress we have made, but only when this earthly life is complete will we truly be able to account for all that God has accomplished within us. 

In the case of our brother Ron, let us give thanks this day for all that we have known and cherished during the short years during which we were privileged to share his journey.  With united voices, let us also ask the Lord to have mercy upon his eternal soul, so that he who began his life in the United Kingdom may now enjoy eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.