Father O'Connor preached this wonderful and touching homily.
When it comes to Jesus Christ, CS Lewis the great Christian Christian thinker tells us that we have really three options: He was a lunatic, a liar or Lord. Another author put it this way: Christ was either mad, bad, or God.
Upon the death of her brother Lazarus: Martha in our scripture passage is confronted with those three options about Christ: lunatic, liar or Savior. Christ tells her: I am the Resurrection and the Life whoever believes in me will never die. Martha makes a statement of faith: I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.
Mom knew Jesus Christ to be Lord and so we gather to give thanks for her life, to console one another, and to ask Christ in his mercy to welcome Mom into the gift of Heaven.
God gives us so many gifts. It was through a CYO dance in the basement of this very Church that Mom and Dad met. They were prom sweethearts. Dad waited for Mom to come home from her senior trip from NYC waiting for her bus with a bunch of roses. He recognizes now a piece of gold jewelry would have clinched the deal a lot easier. God in his eternal goodness brought them together. Dad and Mom enjoyed the gift of marriage for 49.5 years. A holy Marriage that occurred in this beautiful Church. They have given excellent testimony to their marriage vows: in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health til death do us part. As the breathing tube was removed from her, Mom’s first question was Where is my husband?
Through that marital gift came the gift of children: Christopher, Erin and Jonathan. That Jesus is life and Resurrection was imparted to us as soon as we could walk and talk. It was easy for us to profess a loving and merciful God for we had a mother who loved us in spite of our successes and our failures. She loved us… Period. That same love was demanded of each of us. I used to be jealous when I was younger when a friend would tell me that he was not speaking for days or weeks to one of his siblings. That simply was not allowed in our house. There could be explosions and disagreements, but by the close of business all of that was to be put behind you. For we were taught: Love is more important. That same love that Mom and Dad shared allowed my sister to bring her husband Scott and four sons into the fold. Nan loved and continues to love: Matthew, Nick, Chris and Noah. You were her pride and joy!
Our hope and prayer at this mass is that Christ the Good Shepherd lead Mom to life in Heaven. What is Heaven? It is the place or reality that God prepares for those who love Him. In Heaven, we join with all the angels and the saints in beholding the face of God which radiates his goodness and love. Heaven is where we join all those friends and family members who have gone before us. One of my nephews like Martha in the past few days made a statement of faith. He said: Uncle Chris Nan is in Heaven with and he named one of our family friends. This is the mystery of our Christian faith. Christ through his Cross frees us from the effects of sin and death, and welcomes us to the New Jerusalem where there is no suffering, no pain, no division but perfect love. Eternal love. Love that never quits.
After giving a homily once on Heaven, a college student came up to me and asked me: is Heaven boring…you know: me looking at God and God looking at me all day long? I asked him have you ever been in love? Has someone ever loved you? There is nothing boring about love. It is energizing and exhilarating. And so there is nothing boring about Heaven which gives firsthand: God’s love. The scriptures describe Heaven as feast, a banquet, a party. Which is why I have no problem with two or three desserts. Mom did have a problem with it however: She would wait til I had the second piece of something and say: Buster, slow down, you are going to have a heart attack! Heaven is the place where God showers us with his everlasting love. It is perfect love and so it is enriching, and powerful. It brings joy and happiness. It consumes us and makes us perfect. We know what human love is, we have a glimpse of God’s love here on Earth, but we await the true gift of Heaven. Human love pales in comparison to the divine. Eye has not seen; ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love Him.
Recently I discovered the motto for the O’Connor clan throughout the world. It reads: From God every help. It is a perfect motto. It is a clear reminder to us OConnors that everything we have is pure gift—God-given. He gives life. He gives us family and friends for communion and support. He gives us priests. He gives us this Eucharist where we ponder and are drawn into the mystery of Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection. Being drawn into Christ’s sacrificial love we pray that Mom’s soul might rest in Heaven. This Eucharist asks us to allow us ourselves to be drawn into a mystery which requires lifting our heads from the ordinary and the sadness of loss to the gift of Heaven. The Eucharist places in our midst not a lunatic or a liar but the saving presence of Jesus.
Christ’s death on the cross teaches us that Christian death requires surrender. Death required Mom and it will require each of us to surrender all the helps that God has given us here and now for the something greater that only Jesus and Heaven promise!
Pray with me that Christ welcome Mom into the gift of Heaven. From God Every Help!
