A witness of gospel joy

In this life, she was fed by her faith in Jesus, and by the special food that he provided in his body and blood.  She in turn fed countless others with the joy of her faith, and now she is rewarded for her unfailing trust.

Funeral homily for Anna Crea

The gospel passage chosen for today’s liturgy begins with some advice that was offered by Jesus to his disciples: Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks (Lk 12:35-36).

Siamo radunati in questa chiesa per pregare per la nostra sorella Anna, e per raccomandare la sua anima eterna alle braccia amorose del nostro Dio.  Le parole di Gesù, regalate ai suoi discepoli risuonano anche alle nostre orecchie perché 'é esattamente ciò che Anna ha cercato di vivere ogni giorno della sua vita terrena - ad essere vestito per l'azione, pronto ad accogliere gli ospiti e la sua famiglia; prendersi cura di loro, per nutrire i loro corpi con il cibo e il loro spirito con la speranza che anche lei aveva scoperto - cioè il premio della sua fede.
We have assembled here in this church this morning to pray for our sister Anna, and to commend her eternal soul into the loving arms of our God.  As we do, Jesus’ words spoken to his disciples ring in our ears too because this is exactly what Anna tried to do every day of her life – to be dressed for action, ready to welcome visitors and family members; to care for them, to feed their bodies with really good food and their spirits with the hope that she too had discovered as the reward for her faith.

Throughout the many years that she spent, first in her beloved homeland and then here in North Bay, Anna’s faith was at the centre of everything she did.  The life of the church was intertwined with the life that unfolded in her family home, and in the many different friendships and encounters she had with so many others.  She always remembered her roots, and this is the first lesson that she has left with us: always remember the past.  Our individual histories give us a sense of identity and our common history of faith provides us with a constant source of support in the times when we are struggling as well as the joy of sharing our successes with those who are also sharing the journey with us.

Today, our hearts are saddened because our sister Anna will no longer live among us, but at the same time, we give thanks to God for the many years that were granted to her, for the many opportunities that we have had to create good memories with her, and we entrust her now to our God who will prepare a feast of rich food (Is 25:6) for all his people.  Anna cherished her heritage, but she always insisted on living the present moment, and this is the second nugget of wisdom that we must never forget: sit willingly at every table to which you are invited, enter into the conversation and never be afraid to share the good news of the gospel with those you encounter.  Tell them about Jesus, tell them that he is the Lord, the one for whom we are waiting, and we are glad and rejoice in the promise of his salvation (cf Is 25:9).

This is the good news that has been told throughout the centuries, by prophets and priests, by men and women of faith.  Anna was a woman of deep faith.  If she were here among us today, she would probably still be trying to encourage us to look to the future with hope, to go out into the world that lies beyond the walls of this church and to joyfully tell everyone we meet that we have received a great gift.  We have been baptized into Christ Jesus … therefore … just as Christ was raised from the dead, we believe that we will also live with him (Rom 6:3, 8).

This is the simple truth of our faith that Anna shared with all those she met: in schools, in neighbourhoods, in the market or around her own table.  This is the simple truth that we too must continue to share with others wherever we should meet them.