After the battle

Funeral homily for Gene Duquette

Yesterday afternoon, I visited with Gene’s children and some of his siblings at the Funeral Home.  Those first moments of gathering are often filled with emotion, so it’s important that we take a moment to recognize that God is present, and we did stop for just a moment to thank Him for the gift of Gene’s life, and to ask him to be near to Gene’s family as they prepared to welcome friends who would come to visit throughout the afternoon and evening.

There was a video display set up in the room.  As we prayed, and then stood and watched, pictures from various moments in Gene’s life were flashed upon the screen.  Memories of times spent helping with the construction of family cottages combined with images of Gene and Pauline’s wedding day – they were only 18 years old then.  There were images of their four children and of their grandchildren as the various milestones of Gene’s life were recalled.  These were moments of celebration; these were moments of relaxation; these were moments which have been treasured, and which should be remembered for years to come.  These were the experiences which have knit this family together, and made you into the people that you have become.

As the images continued, stories were recounted: stories of his dedication to his family, stories of his never-ending energy and willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need, stories of his many hours of pleasure spent with his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.  Gene spent the better part of 50 years devoting his life to his work, and he spent the better part of his entire life devoting his life to his family.

Today, we gather in this place, together with his family and friends to commend him to the mercy of our God.  Here in this church, Gene and Pauline had come with their children on many other occasions to pray.  Together with their siblings, they also found here a vibrant community of believers, and they played an active part in this community for as long as they could, but it seems that the virtuous persons are always taken from us before their time.  The wisdom that Gene shared with his family, his friends and his coworkers will now have to be shared by those who were privileged to learn it from him.  No length of years ever seems enough when it comes to sharing time here on earth with those we love, and yet our very presence here today is a testament to our belief that Jesus died and rose again and because of this, Gene too will rise again because he died in Jesus on the day of his baptism, and he spent the rest of his years here on earth living by the grace which has been given in Christ.  This is the same grace that awaits all the chosen of the Lord, the grace that we will know in its fullness when we too complete our earthly journey and join him again in heaven.

It’s true that when we are grieving, it’s difficult to understand these mysteries, but the gift of faith helps us to stand in this place with others who have also known grief in their lives: others like Mary and Martha of Bethany and the other Jews who had gathered with them to express their sympathy when their brother Lazarus had died.  Jesus too knew the grief of one who mourns because he had known Lazarus and loved him like a brother.  Because he knew this pain in his own earthly life, he also understands the pain that is ours as we bid farewell to Gene today.  In this life, Gene was no stranger to suffering.  He had cared lovingly for his wife when she too was infirmed, and in the past six years or so, he had lost much of his sight.  This too brought limitations to his freedom, and perhaps curtailed his ability to enjoy the great outdoors.  The second recurrence of cancer also took its toll on Gene’s body as it bound him ever tighter, taking away from him first one freedom and then another.  In his final weeks, even the food he so enjoyed had to be limited.  Yet through all this trial, Gene continued to pray.  On the day I met him in his home, we spoke of the importance of prayer, we celebrated the Sacrament of Anointing and we shared a simple moment of grace.  Today, we commend his soul to the mercy of God who greets him, calling out to him and to us in love: unbind him, let him go free.