Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who gathered to celebrate the life of one of our brothers in faith, and to commend his eternal soul into the loving arms of our God, who this day has granted him the reward of his labours.
Funeral homily for
Fernand Degagne
Relatives and friends of our brother Fern have assembled
in this place today to pray with him, to thank God for the gift that he has
been to us and to celebrate his entry into our heavenly home.
Prayer is something that Fern and his siblings learned
from their parents, so we begin our thanks today with a special prayer of
gratitude for the example that was set by Olem and Marie. Because of their teaching, Fern learned to
recite his prayers. With their guidance
and example, he was first able to experience love and acceptance, and in time,
he practiced these virtues himself. At
the school of the family, we all encounter the first opportunities to learn
such lessons, and in turn, it is up to us to pass on the wisdom we discover to
others who come after us.
Examples of Fern’s willingness to lend a hand abound, and
his generosity was not confined to the limits of family ties, although his
children, grand-children and great grand-children were certainly the focus of
his energy. Who else would travel for
miles just so that he could be the object of his grandchild’s classroom show and tell exercise?
If we had to describe this man to a stranger, we probably
could just call him the salt of the earth: the one who would be up first thing
in the morning, enthusiastically attacking the snow that had fallen overnight;
the one who was always able to find a solution to any problem; the one who was
always attentive to the needs of others, whether that meant filling a wine
glass or pulling a sliver with the edge of his pocket knife. He disinfected every wound with Polysporin
and then closed it efficiently with crazy glue.
The makers of adhesive bandages would have something to say about that,
I’m sure. Before we knew it though, Fern
was always able to cement a friendship because he was never afraid to open his
heart, to welcome a stranger, to find a place welcome for anyone who needed it.
At the core of his being, Fern knew without a doubt that
the voice of faith was constantly speaking.
It’s not a voice that we often hear with human ears, but rather guidance
that we receive deep within. The voice
of faith speaks to us through the words Saint Paul wrote to the small Christian
community at Corinth: We know that the
one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus (2 Cor
4:14). When Fern received the news that
cancer had invaded his body, he was at peace.
He knew that the promise Jesus had made to him on the day of his baptism
would still hold firm, so he didn’t doubt, not even for a moment, that the Lord
Jesus would raise him to life.
It is never easy for us to let go of those we love. All of us can recall experiences that we have
shared with Fern: times when we celebrated, times when we faced struggles and
uncertainties, times when we worried about someone else, times when we sought
wisdom and guidance, times when we came to understand that there are some times
in life when silence is the best response.
Indeed, as the wisdom of the scriptures tells us, there is a time and a season for every matter under heaven (Ecc
3:1).
We stand at a crossroad now. We are thankful for all that God as allowed
us to learn from the life this great man, and yet we look forward and wonder
how we will be able to share the wisdom we have discovered with others. It is possible, one step at a time, one
moment, one encounter at a time. Just as
we would look to Fern, and he would draw upon the well of his own experience to
share wisdom with us, now we look to Jesus to help us draw upon the store of experiences
we have amassed. Like Jesus, we too must
begin by recognizing that it is God the Father who has given us the gift of
life, and every other blessing that we have received. Like Jesus, we must now seek to welcome anyone who comes to us in search of
guidance, never driving them away (cf
Jn 6:37) because we are too tired to be present to them, but always willing to
listen compassionately and to help if we are able.
Listening with compassion always opens the doors of our
hearts, and when our hearts are open, we can learn to love. Love is the gift that Jesus came to share
with us, the gift from God our Father, and because we have received it freely,
we in turn must share it freely with others.
Let us ask Jesus to fill our hearts with the Father’s love, and during
this month of May which the Church dedicates to the memory of Mary our mother,
let us ask her to pray for us, that we will learn to love as she also loves
us. With Fern to watch over us and to
guide us from heaven, we look forward to the day when the Lord’s promise will
be fulfilled for us too: the day when we will have eternal life (cf Jn 6:40) with
God in heaven.
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