Happy are those who die in the Lord

Funeral homily for Deacon John Porter

What matters are you discussing as you walk along?  These words spoken by Jesus to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus can perhaps help us to comprehend the truth that we have been living these past days, a truth that our hearts already understand: the truth that a promise once spoken to our brother John is now being fulfilled.  Today we will bury his mortal remains in the earth and our hearts are heavy with sadness, yet this act of sowing the seed of immortality fills us with great joy for today we are filled with hope and profound gratitude for the gift of this man who has loved us, and who has spent so many years among us as an example of service to God’s people.

To Pat, Kathleen, Patrick, Michael, Erin and Stephen; to all of John’s sons and daughters-in-law; to his grandchildren and to his sister, please accept our profound gratitude for having shared John with the people who have walked through the doors of this church.  You are the ones who have known him first, and best.  You are the ones with whom he first shared his joys and sorrows, his worries and anxieties.  You are the ones of whom he was so proud as he spent time with you, guiding you and shaping you, sharing with you his wisdom, his love and his faith.  In time, God called him to serve as a Permanent Deacon, and you all supported him in this role so that he could help us too to see and appreciate the precious love of our God.

Since 1985, he has served this parish devotedly.  He has welcomed newborns and baptised them at this font, celebrating with their parents and giving thanks for the safe arrival of their children, even as they mark the beginnings of their own lives in faith.  He has had the privilege to counsel and guide young couples as they prepared for the celebration of their weddings and the beginnings of their marriages.  He has preached the word, doing his best to interpret the words of Jesus, and to find within them comfort for troubled souls and challenge for the complacent.  Most importantly, by his example of faith he has responded to the Lord’s call to be compassionate, loving and willing to walk alongside the wayward as well as the well-established.

What matters are we discussing today as we walk along?  The same matters that John discussed with all those he served.  Today, we dare to speak of the one we know as Jesus, a great prophet who did miraculous things in the sight of God and of all the people.  Because of this, he was crucified, he died and he rose again to new life.  The news of his resurrection astonished the women who discovered the empty tomb, and it also astonished the disciples who were the first to hear the news.  The truth is that since Christ died and rose again to life, we also know that our lives here on earth will one day come to an end, but on that day, life will be changed, not ended.  This is the reason why we are here in this church today: because we are people of faith who cling to the promise of resurrection and of new life, a life which we will all have the privilege to know when God calls us home.

We witness the pledge of this life to come whenever we gather and participate in the breaking of bread.  The Eucharist we share is the bread of life which is given as nourishment for our souls, so that we can continue the work of proclaiming the truth that Jesus came to tell: that life here on earth is meant to prepare us for life in heaven, and when our earthly pilgrimage is done, Christ himself will come from heaven to take us home.  As we come to know this truth, our hearts burn within us and we are filled with zeal, the desire to share this good news with everyone we meet.

Today we are here to pray for John, to thank God for the gift of his many years among us.  We commend his soul to the hands of God, the author of life and love who he served so faithfully in this life.  From this day forward, may he rest from his labours, in the arms of our God, in the place where no torment can ever touch him again, and where he will know the fullness of peace and light for all eternity.