Today, we celebrated a funeral for one of the beloved women of Temagami. After a courageous battle with physical challenge, she is now reunited with our God, and we in turn must continue to live by the light of our faith.
Pat’s family and friends have gathered here today to bid farewell to our dear sister. We have also come today to express our condolences and support for you Marcel, for Linda and for all the members of your family. We have come to this church today because we know that on this day we commend Pat’s soul into the loving embrace of our God.
This building was very special to Pat, as it is to every one of those who has shared a part of themselves in its construction, and in the building of the community of disciples who gather here each week to thank God for the blessings we have received, or to seek guidance when we are troubled. Here in this very place, Pat listened to the words of Jesus. Here she was renewed with the knowledge of God’s love, and rekindled with the desire to spread the good news of the gospel. From this place, she went into the world to share the lessons she had learned with family and friends, with children she encountered, and even with some families she never met.
Eight decades ago, when she began her life in faith, Pat was entrusted with the light of Christ. Now that her earthly journey is complete, the paschal candle burns beside her earthly remains as a reminder to all of us that the light of faith is always present in our lives, gently guiding us along the way, even to the doors of heaven. As Pat stands at the threshold of the Father’s house, she who has lived her faith so courageously here on earth is welcomed warmly: Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you … She may very well wonder when it was that she saw Jesus hungry and fed him, or thirsty and gave him drink, a stranger and welcomed him, naked and clothed him, sick or imprisoned and visited him. She may wonder, but we know that she did these things countless times, for the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, and so she richly deserves her reward.
Each person who is here today, each person who has had the privilege of knowing this beloved sister of ours has been influenced in some way or other by her life, her words, her kindness, her acts of love. It is right that we should remember these wonderful influences, that we should thank God, and thank Pat for them, and that we should go out into the world to share these memories and the lessons we’ve learned with those we meet.
Just this past weekend, we celebrated the Ascension of the Lord, the moment when Jesus ascended to heaven and commanded his disciples to go and to make disciples of all the nations. Ever since that day, the disciples of Jesus have continued his work. We too must continue the work of the disciples, going out to others, sharing with them the joy of our faith, and encouraging them especially in moments of difficulty and trial. There are many in our world who get caught up in the worries of the world and even forget that there is still a flame of faith burning within them. For the sake of our children who need to be reminded of this truth, for the sake of the elderly who too often are neglected by our society, and for the sake of all those who may have forgotten this truth, we must never be afraid to joyfully share the good news: the favours of the Lord are not all past, his kindnesses are not exhausted; every morning they are renewed; great is his faithfulness.
Funeral homily for Patricia Joan Hamel
Pat’s family and friends have gathered here today to bid farewell to our dear sister. We have also come today to express our condolences and support for you Marcel, for Linda and for all the members of your family. We have come to this church today because we know that on this day we commend Pat’s soul into the loving embrace of our God.
This building was very special to Pat, as it is to every one of those who has shared a part of themselves in its construction, and in the building of the community of disciples who gather here each week to thank God for the blessings we have received, or to seek guidance when we are troubled. Here in this very place, Pat listened to the words of Jesus. Here she was renewed with the knowledge of God’s love, and rekindled with the desire to spread the good news of the gospel. From this place, she went into the world to share the lessons she had learned with family and friends, with children she encountered, and even with some families she never met.
Eight decades ago, when she began her life in faith, Pat was entrusted with the light of Christ. Now that her earthly journey is complete, the paschal candle burns beside her earthly remains as a reminder to all of us that the light of faith is always present in our lives, gently guiding us along the way, even to the doors of heaven. As Pat stands at the threshold of the Father’s house, she who has lived her faith so courageously here on earth is welcomed warmly: Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you … She may very well wonder when it was that she saw Jesus hungry and fed him, or thirsty and gave him drink, a stranger and welcomed him, naked and clothed him, sick or imprisoned and visited him. She may wonder, but we know that she did these things countless times, for the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus, and so she richly deserves her reward.
Each person who is here today, each person who has had the privilege of knowing this beloved sister of ours has been influenced in some way or other by her life, her words, her kindness, her acts of love. It is right that we should remember these wonderful influences, that we should thank God, and thank Pat for them, and that we should go out into the world to share these memories and the lessons we’ve learned with those we meet.
Just this past weekend, we celebrated the Ascension of the Lord, the moment when Jesus ascended to heaven and commanded his disciples to go and to make disciples of all the nations. Ever since that day, the disciples of Jesus have continued his work. We too must continue the work of the disciples, going out to others, sharing with them the joy of our faith, and encouraging them especially in moments of difficulty and trial. There are many in our world who get caught up in the worries of the world and even forget that there is still a flame of faith burning within them. For the sake of our children who need to be reminded of this truth, for the sake of the elderly who too often are neglected by our society, and for the sake of all those who may have forgotten this truth, we must never be afraid to joyfully share the good news: the favours of the Lord are not all past, his kindnesses are not exhausted; every morning they are renewed; great is his faithfulness.
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