Always ready to serve

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the funeral of a long-standing member of our parish who has now completed his journey.

Funeral homily for Donald Allan Frankish

The family of faith gathers this morning, in this place where we so often have come together before.  Each time we assemble here, our primary purpose is to give thanks to God.  At the dawn of life, we give thanks to God for the birth of a child; at other times, we come to receive the special nourishment that is provided as we partake in the Eucharistic feast, or as we celebrate the Sacrament of God’s loving forgiveness;  we come to this place with family and friends to celebrate moments of great joy such as weddings, and we come as well to celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise when one of our brothers or sisters is welcomed into the heavenly home that is promised to each of us on the day of our baptism.

So it is, dear friends, that we find ourselves here today, gathered around the table of the Lord along with Vivianne, Clifford, Kevin and their extended family.  Even though Sandra is unable to physically be present with us today, she is here in spirit, offering her prayer along with us.  We have come to thank God for the gift of our brother Allan who stands before the judgment seat of God … to give an account of himself (cf Rom 14:10-12).  Can you imagine, just for a moment, what kind of greeting Jesus is giving to our brother?

At another time in our history, when Jesus himself walked on this earth, he tried to prepare his disciples for the moment when each of them would have to stand before that judgment seat.  He told them then: See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit … waiting for your master to return … ready to open the door when he comes and knocks (Lk 12:35-36).  This advice still holds true for the disciples of our time.  We too are encouraged to be ready for action if and when the Lord should call.  For many years, Allan and his family have been part of this parish; for many years, they have taken part in the life of this parish, celebrating in good times and also sharing their challenges with those who have walked the journey by their sides.  Even in his latter years, Al was still literally standing at the door of this church, ready to open it so that others could enter.  He served for many years as part of the team of sacristans who assist us with the celebration of the Eucharist, and he always was very proud to do his part.

Jesus told his disciples that if the master finds his servants awake when he comes, they will be rewarded: I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them (Lk 12:37).  It is perhaps a curious image to consider that our God should love us so deeply that he would reverse the expected roles: that instead of expecting us to shower him with thanksgiving for blessings we have received, he should reward us by treating us as though we were the ones who deserved to be the focus of attention, and yet this is precisely the reason why we gather to praise him today.  Our brother Al has completed his earthly journey, and even though we may not be able to witness this great moment of his being greeted at the doors of heaven with our own eyes, we trust that as a reward for his faithful service, he is being seated at the great banquet table that awaits us (cf Is 25:6).  Where once he would have been the one to joyfully greet a guest at his table, Al is now being greeted by the Master, who himself is willing to serve.

We who gather around this table today rejoice in the presence of our God, because our brother’s journey is now complete, but we ourselves are still on our pilgrim way, so let us ask Al to pray for us, and let us ask Our Lady to continue watching over us with her maternal care, helping us always to be attentive to the ways in which we are being called to serve.  May her constant prayer inspire us always to be dressed for action … ready to open the door and to respond in charity and fraternity whenever a brother or a sister needs our help, whenever the Master comes and knocks.