Giving thanks to God

Life is indeed a blessing that can be cut short.  When it seems that there are never enough days to enjoy the company of those we love, it helps to consider that their souls live on for all eternity and that the community of faith is present to walk with us through times of trial and challenge toward the hope of eternal life.

Funeral homily for David Peplinski

Trudy, Kevin, Kurk: this parish community has gathered around you in these days, along with your friends and other members of your family to be close to you and to pray with you.  Just a few months ago, David was well, tending his orchard, spending time with his grandsons and with you.  These are the things that grandfathers are supposed to do: to protect their families, to be the keepers and the guardians of their lived history and to pass on the wisdom that has been accumulated to those who hold the promise of a future.

David did all this, and even more - for family, for friends, for colleagues – and then the unthinkable happened.  This man, whose heart was so large as to have room to welcome even strangers into his home if they were in need, found himself in need as disease robbed him of his physical strength.  Even as the doctors worked with him, I wonder what questions went through his mind.  Did he ponder the questions posed in the Book of Wisdom: Old age is not a matter of length of days, but of our ability to understand one another (cf Wis 4:8).  Some would say that even seven decades is not a long time to live on this earth.  Our chronological age seldom seems to match the age of our souls, and no matter how much we have already accomplished, there is always another dream to dream, another adventure to embark upon, another hope that seems to flicker within us.

In the midst of such possibility any reference to mortality seems to be an invasion.  When he first heard the word cancer, I wonder whether he too thought that he was dreaming and would wake up some day to find that this was not the case.  Cancer is unforgiving and does not discriminate, but God’s grace and mercy also do not discriminate, and this is the source of our hope, and the reason why we are gathered here today.  At all moments of our lives, God watches over us (cf Wis 4:15).  Especially at times when we are weak or vulnerable, God is always close to us.

None of us knows the length of our days, but Saint Paul reassures us that when our earthly lives come to an end, we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:51-52).  These bodies of ours are merely vessels that carry our souls while we live here on earth, but our ultimate destiny is heaven.  When we are young, we can be tempted to think that we are invincible, imperishable, but as the years pass by, we become more and more aware that our bodies won’t last forever; yet each of us has a soul, an immortal soul.  Saint Paul knew this.  This is what he was talking about in the second reading we heard today.  This is the reason why he ends the passage with the words: thanks be to God who has given us the victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57).

So while there is a part of us that still may not understand or want to admit that David will no longer be there to tend the fruit trees or to plough the driveway, our presence here today is an act of faith – faith that he is standing before the king of all kings.  The Lord is pointing out to him all times that he recognized someone who was thirsty: for water, for love, for acceptance, and gave them something to quench their thirst (cf Mt 25:35).  He is pointing out all the times that David welcomed him in the persons of strangers (cf Mt 25:36) who were in need of a listening ear, or those who were stripped of their dignity and needed someone to reassure them that they were indeed precious, loveable and loved.

Sometimes, beneath even the gruffest of exteriors, there is a tender soul, a loving heart and a gentle spirit that is either unwilling or unable to believe that the small gestures of kindness shown to others are indeed equally extended to Jesus himself.  In the end, we will all meet the king of kings.  Perhaps we too will be surprised by the many occasions when we extended kindnesses to our heavenly Father without even noticing it.

While David celebrates his heavenly birthday, let us give thanks today to God for all that we have known and loved in him, and let us entrust his eternal soul into the loving embrace of our heavenly Father.