A second chance homily.

Greetings!  A few years ago, I was called upon to celebrate the funeral of a 6-year-old child that had been killed in an accident.  Although these funerals were and are the most difficult to celebrate, I did what I could for the family.  Today, I have chosen to sit with this family in my heart and write a second homily.  I can't remember the entirety of my homily at the funeral back then, but here, I offer up this second homily as a prayer and a remembrance of the child, her family and the community that gathered at this difficult time. I share it here because it is something that has come to mind in recent times and I thought I would offer these simple words of hope.

  DISCLAIMER: The topic of this entry deals with a child's death and could have triggers for some.  The names used have been changed and the circumstances are somewhat different.  Whether you choose to read or not, please take a moment to recognize the value of life and to celebrate who you are, a beautiful and loved person! 

Gospel Reading Here

Greetings to you and God’s peace.  As some of you may know, we recently celebrated the funeral of our dear child, Grace.  Funerals are always difficult events, but they are much more difficult when they are for a child.  This is especially true when that child was someone like Grace, someone who was well known and loved by this community of faith.  For those who attended the funeral, you may recall that the sermon touched on the Gospel of John (John 14:1-7).  This passage comes to us after Jesus had washed the feet of His disciples as they prepared for the Passover meal.  They had each responded to him and Peter even tried to stop him.  Jesus’ action, however, was not one only of service but more profoundly of love, even though not everyone understood.  He turns to each and says, “let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me.”  He then goes on to say that “in my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, would I have told you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.”  In the face of tragedy, these words may seem like a promise that is distant from a god too high to know our pain, but in truth, these words of Christ point to a reality that is far closer to us than we imagine.  The words that Jesus speaks are not of a promise that is yet to be fulfilled or a goal to be reached, instead, the invitation that Jesus makes to his disciples and by extension, to every one of us, is an invitation that we each begin to partake of from the day of our Baptism.  In so many ways, the life we enter into upon being baptized is a life unlike anything else we can imagine.  We don’t become angels and we don’t become absolutely perfect, but we are placed upon a road that brings us into a more profound relationship with God’s love every day as we relate to those around us, especially those who stand as witnesses of faith and love.  Through that encounter, we become aware that the words of Jesus are not just meant to console for the future, but right now.  Through baptism, we come to see what Jesus means about having a mansion prepared, and through the love of our parents, sponsors and the Christian community, we come to know what it is to be a member of the Body of Christ.  You see, in the actions that we live in at baptism, whether your own or anyone else’s, we start to enact the love with which Jesus invites us.  In responding to Jesus’ call to love, we respond to a life that brings us to a daily encounter with God as we encounter each other.  Through this sharing of Christian love,  we find an easier answer to Thomas’ question: “how will we know the way?”  We know the way, because we love, and in that love, we come to know Love Incarnate, Christ.  By our participation in the mysteries of Baptism, we are incorporated into a reality that is both profound and real.  We become members of the Body of Christ and in the love we share we come to see how God is at work in and through us.  It is this same love that reminds us that life is not ended, but transformed in death and it is this love that helps us on those days when the loss we have suffered seems too unbearable.  We are not promised a life without pain, but we are given the tools to know how best to respond to the difficulties of life.  We will not have the answers to why a child suffers, or why a child dies, just as our dear Grace did, but we can be assured that in Christ we share a life in which she already participates fully.  In the hugs we share, or the hands we hold, through the tears we shed and even the anger we express, Christ is present and as we do these things with one another, we are reminded that when one member of the Body of Christ is hurt, we all are, but that in Christ we are also brought to a place of life, a life that is made evident in the love we share a love that glimmers with Christ .  The death of a child has no answer that will suffice and I will never know why these things happen, but that isn’t for me to know, instead, I sit in the hope that as we accompany Will and Kellie in their mourning and pain, we will also, one day, share in their joy!  May we each participate in the love of God so that one day, we too may participate in the joy of life eternal, that place, where we each come home and celebrate our mansions prepared by Love, our life!