Funeral Homily for a Young Person - Young Man, I Tell You, Arise (Wisdom 4:7-14; Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39; Luke 7:11-17)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear [parents' names], dear family and friends of [Name], brothers and sisters in Christ:

There are no easy words for a day like this. When an older person dies after a long life, we grieve, but we understand. When a young person dies, it feels wrong, out of order, unbearable. Parents should not have to bury their children. Brothers and sisters, friends and classmates should not have to say goodbye so soon. If you are angry, confused, or simply numb today, you are not without faith. You are human, and you loved [Name].

I will not pretend to explain why this happened. No one here can. What we can do is come before God together, bring Him our pain, and listen to what He has to say to us.

A life measured by love, not by years

The Book of Wisdom speaks directly to this kind of loss: "The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years." And it adds: "Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career."

God does not measure a life by its length. He measures it by love. [Name]'s life was shorter than any of us wanted. But it was not empty. Think of the friendships, the laughter, the kindness, the ways [Name] made the people around them better. None of that is lost to God.

Nothing can separate us

Saint Paul asks the question that many of you are carrying today: "What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?" And he answers with complete confidence: "Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Notice the first thing on Paul's list: death. Death has taken [Name] from our sight. It has not taken [Name] out of the love of God. That love was there at their Baptism, through every year of their life, and it is there now.

Jesus sees the mother

In the Gospel, Jesus approaches the town of Nain and meets a funeral procession. A young man has died, "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow." Saint Luke tells us: "When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, 'Do not weep.'" Then he touches the coffin and says, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" And he gives him back to his mother.

Jesus did not raise every young person who died in his time. But in this miracle he showed us two things. First, he sees the grief of parents. Before he says anything to the young man, he looks at the mother and is moved with compassion. He sees you today, [parents' names]. He is not indifferent to your sorrow.

Second, he showed us who he is: the Lord of life, whose word is stronger than death. What he did once at Nain is a sign of what he will do for all who belong to him on the last day. "Young man, I tell you, arise." That is our hope for [Name].

Praying, and holding one another

Today we commend [Name] to God's mercy. Every life, young or old, needs that mercy, and we pray that God will forgive any sin and bring [Name] into the joy of his presence.

And we pray for ourselves. Grief like this can tear families apart or draw them closer. Hold on to one another. Young people here today, look after each other. If you are struggling, talk to someone: a parent, a teacher, a priest, a counselor. You do not have to carry this alone.

At this altar Christ will give himself to us in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, the pledge of the resurrection. Here we place [Name] into the hands of the One who said at Nain, "Arise."

Eternal rest grant unto [Name], O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.