Room in the Father's house

Today, we celebrated the life of another man of faith: one who loved deeply and gave of himself joyfully in many ways.  Now that his journey is complete, he will continue to watch over us and to intercede on our behalf.

Funeral homily for Stefano (Stan) Schiavone

The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for every matter under heaven (Ecc 3:1).  Stan's parents, Domenic and Marianna are no longer among mortals, but if they were, they could recount for us the details of the day when their beloved son Stefano was born, and there would be many other stories of celebration: the day they took him to the church and celebrated his baptism, the day he broke his first tooth, the day he skinned his knee for the first time.  The list of stories would be endless.

Domenic and Marianna are now in heaven, as is Ronaldo, but Stan's other siblings, Antonia and Mike can probably still remember the adventures they shared as children: the many ways in which they hoped and dreamed about the future, the plans that came to fruition and the others that didn’t (cf Ecc 3:2), what it was like to grow up in that family, how life changed after papa died and Stefano took over the role of leadership, how seriously he took that role, and how having to grow up so quickly made him the man he was.

Other people could also contribute their memories and stories.  June, Karen and Nick could each add their own tellings of experiences they lived with Stan: the great joy he always took in preparing a meal for his family and for anyone else who was invited to share their table, the laughter that filled their home and the bonds of friendship and trust that were forged in the many encounters that took place there (cf Ecc 3:4) … and I’m sure that his beloved grandchildren would have more than a few stories to tell about the many times they came to visit and nestled in his loving embrace (cf Ecc 3:5).  All of these stories are well worth remembering; they should be cherished, they should be told and retold, but there is also another story that we are witnessing here today: the story of love that was shared between God and his precious son Stefano.

On the day of his baptism, God gave him a very precious gift: his own divine love.  From the day of his baptism, Stan was always a child of God (1 Jn 3:1).  In fact we are all God’s children (1 Jn 3:2) and because of that, we are heirs of heaven.  What exactly we stand to inherit, no one knows.  No human who has left this world and gone before us has ever returned to describe it to us, except for Jesus.

As he was preparing his disciples for the time when he would leave them, he told them: Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God, and believe in me (Jn 14:1).  These are the words of a beloved companion.  They speak of a heart that has learned to love those who have shared the journey.  They also speak of a confidence that this world is but a preparation for the fullness of life that we will know in the Father’s house (Jn 14:2), room for all of us.  We cannot see this house with mortal eyes, but we can believe that it exists because Jesus has told us that he will come again and take us to himself, so that where he is, we may be also (Jn 14:3).

Like Thomas, there is a part of us that still grieves, that still worries about how we will find the way but all we need to do is to believe.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6).  He will always be close to us to comfort us, to support us and to help us as we continue along the journey that lies ahead, and when the time comes, he will take us to the Father.  There, in the kingdom of heaven, everything that we have believed in will be made clear, and we will see our beloved Stefano again.