Remember, give thanks, look forward

This morning at 10:00am we celebrated the Mass of the Resurrection for one of the former parishioners of Saint Peter the Apostle.  It is always a privilege to pray with our brothers and sisters, especially at the moment when they complete their earthly journeys and arrive at their heavenly Home.  Here are the words with which I attempted to reflect and give thanks for this newest resident of heaven.

Funeral homily for Rocco Scarfone

On behalf of the family of Saint Peter the Apostle parish, I wish to express my sympathy to Jim, Ron, Fred and Anthony, as well as all of the Scarfone family.   Together with you, we have come to this church today to pray for Rocco, our brother in faith.  At moments such as these, we are reminded of our own frailty for none of us knows the day or hour when our earthly life will come to an end.  Yet, this gathering also allows us to remember, to give thanks and to look forward in hope.

The book of Wisdom offers a first word of consolation: the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God.  Rocco grew up in a family which was just like every other family.  His mother and father were always extremely proud of their five sons.  They bandaged their wounds when they were hurt, and held them close when they needed reassurance.  They rejoiced when the family would gather around the table to share a good meal, and they celebrated joyous moments as they witnessed the achievements of their lives.  As an adult, Rocco returned the devotion which he had witnessed in his parents by caring for his mother in her old age, and delighted in the company of his nieces and nephews as he watched each of you grow.  Today we remember all the good that we have witnessed in Rocco’s life and we commend him to the loving mercy of God, who has counted him as one of his beloved sons ever since the day of his baptism.

Today, we give thanks to God for all the joy that we have shared with Rocco.  We give thanks as well for the gift of faith that was planted in his heart and in ours, a faith which has been nurtured and strengthened by people of faith who have shared with us the testimony of their own witness of faith.  Through faith, we grow each day in our understanding that we are all precious children of God and heirs of a kingdom which is yet to come.  Our physical eyes have witnessed Rocco’s pain and suffering, our human minds have perhaps questioned the reasons for his limitations, yet our faith tells us that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory which is waiting for us.  Therefore, even though we many not fully understand the reasons why Rocco has been taken from us, we give thanks to God for all that has been, and for this occasion to support one another in faith.  We rejoice with him today too because our faith tells us that he now knows and is experiencing the freedom and glory of heaven, promised to the children of God.

If he could speak with us now in words that we could understand, perhaps he might describe heaven for us, a place that we can only know now in faith, but a place where we believe there is room for each of us.  Jesus gave us a glimpse of heaven when he uttered the prayer that we heard in the gospel passage which was proclaimed a few moments ago: I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for … revealing these things to mere children.  No matter how many years we spend here on earth, no matter how wise we may become by human standards, each of us is still a child in God’s eyes, until the day that we are welcomed Home.

In the meanwhile, we come to him when we are laboured and overburdened by the trials of life, and we trust that in him we will find rest.  We learn from him how to be people of faith and trust, celebrating the moments of joy and striving every day to live in peace with one another.  Our God is gentle and humble in heart, and invites us to be gentle with one another, accepting of one another’s shortcomings, and humble in our dealings with one another. 

Dear friends, you and I must live in this world, the school of faith where we learn every day to remember with gratitude the people like Rocco who have helped us to be people of faith, to give thanks for the many blessings we have been privileged to know, and to look forward in hope to the day when we will know the fullness of life in the presence of our God.