Thursday, June 20, 2019

Awake and ready

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebration of the funeral that took place today in remembrance of our beloved sister.


Funeral homily for Thérèse Huguette Desabrais

At the centre of this church today, the Paschal candle towers above us, its flame burning gently but insistently, shedding its light over all of us.  This candle was lit for the very first time at the Easter Vigil that was celebrated in this church just a few months ago.  In the liturgy of the Church, the Pascal Candle stands as a visible reminder for all of us of Jesus' presence among his people.  The light it sheds is a reminder that every day of our lives, we must seek out ways to share the light of our faith with others.

Near the Pascal candle, we find the mortal remains of our sister Thérèse.  The life she lived on this earth was indeed a response to the daily invitation that Jesus extended to her to share the light of her faith, as if in response to the words that we heard Jesus speak just a few moments ago: See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit (Lk 12:35).  Those who have known Therese in this life can testify to the many ways in which she was always dressed for action, ready to jump into action, to intertwine her own life with the lives of others she met along the way.

She willingly cared for those who were in need.  In the words of Saint Luke, she stayed awake and vigilant so that the Master found her awake when he came (Lk 12:36).  Today, we are here in this church to give thanks to God for all the years that we have been able to share with Therese.  We look back over the past years and some of us might remember happy moments like the trip that she took with her siblings to visit Val d'Or, or the simple pleasure of her favorite music; some will also remember the fact that she liked things to be just so, but beneath all the memories, we are all better people because of her.

Even when she was diagnosed with leukemia, she continued to fight because her will to live was so strong.  Now, as she awakens to the fullness of life, rewarded for her faith and trust, for her belief that our souls are in the hands of God (Wis 3:1), no torment can ever touch her again.

The hope that helped her to keep going every day, despite all the physical trials is also the hope that our God offers to us.  This light of faith that shines out over us today is meant to remind us that every day, since the moment of our own baptism, we have been invited to grow in our knowledge of God and our faith that he is always constantly close to us.

When this celebration is complete, we will go out into the world.  Each day, we must prepare ourselves for the time that is coming, the time when our own faith will shine (cf Wis 3:7).  Faith seems to shine more brightly in the lives of those who have been tested, so let us not be afraid when trials come.  Instead, let us embrace them with the sure and certain hope that our God is always with us, helping us to look forward in hope to the time when we shall see him face to face.  Saint Luke assures us that he will put on his apron, he will sit us down at table and he will wait on us (Lk 12:37).  In the meanwhile, let us ask the Lord to enlighten the path that we must walk by shedding the light of his presence upon us.

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