Homily
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear family and friends of [Name], brothers and sisters in Christ:
Some people preach the Gospel without ever standing at a pulpit. They do it with a casserole brought to a grieving neighbor, a visit to someone in the hospital, a quiet envelope slipped to a family in need, years of service in the parish that nobody ever thanked them for. Many of you knew [Name] as a woman like that. Her faith was not only something she believed. It was something she did.
Today we are sad, because a generous presence has left our community. But we are also grateful, and we are hopeful, because the God she served is faithful.
"You did it for me"
In the Gospel, Jesus describes the last judgment. The King says to those on his right: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." They are astonished. They never knew they were serving Christ. And the King answers: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me."
Saint Teresa of Calcutta used to count the words "you did it to me" on her five fingers. She saw Christ in every poor and suffering person she served. That is the heart of this Gospel. Love of neighbor is never wasted, because Christ receives it as done to himself.
We do not know all the hidden kindnesses of [Name]'s life. God knows them. And we pray today that the Lord she served in others may welcome her with the words: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Tried like gold
The Book of Wisdom says that the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and that God tested them "as gold in the furnace." Every life of faith passes through trials: illness, disappointment, loss, the ordinary weariness of serving others year after year. Wisdom tells us that those trials are not meaningless. In God's hands they purify, and they prepare a soul for glory.
Death is swallowed up
Saint Paul writes with joy: "Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" And then: "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
This is the faith that gave [Name] the strength to keep serving. She was not working to earn God's love. She was responding to a love that had already won the victory over sin and death. Today we ask that this victory be fully hers.
We also pray for her honestly, as every Christian needs prayer. We ask God to forgive her sins and to complete in her the work of love he began. The best response to a life of charity is charity in return: our prayers for her, offered with gratitude.
Your turn
The most fitting tribute to a woman like [Name] is not only words at a funeral. It is to keep doing what she did. Somewhere this week there is someone hungry, lonely, sick or forgotten. Visit them. Call them. Help them. Do it in her memory, and know that you are doing it for Christ.
In a few moments, at this altar, Christ will give himself to us in the Eucharist, the great sign of his self-giving love. May this sacrament strengthen us to love as she loved, and may it be for her the pledge of the eternal banquet.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
Sources Consulted
- Order of Christian Funerals, no. 27
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1038-1041 and 2447
- Saint Teresa of Calcutta (on Matthew 25)
- Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, nos. 15 and 31
- USCCB, Lectionary for Mass: Masses for the Dead