Funeral Homily

As Christians, disciples of Jesus, we search for bright rays of hope, especially in the midst of our darkest moments. In these moments when we say our farewell to our loved ones, like today, we come to the realization that human life is indeed fragile. And not to take our friendships and relationships for granted, but to be grateful each day for the blessings of our loved ones in our life. Because we never know when the Lord calls us home.

As Christians, disciples of Jesus, we believe that death is not the end, but a new beginning, a transition into the eternal life with Almighty God, with the Angels and Saints, and also our loved ones. Our loved one has passed from this present and temporary life to a more perfect and permanent one.

With faith, we gather not just as a people who mourn over a loss, but as a people who are confident that Christ has prepared a place for us in eternal life.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I will go and prepare a place for you, so that where I am you will also be, and where I am going, you will know the way.” We take in comfort in knowing that Christ is the bride-groom, and our soul is the bride, forever united to Jesus the bridegroom, in a love that is reflected in marriage relationships in the world, and is most powerfully visible in the cross of Jesus. As Jesus said: “There is no greater love than the one who lays down his life for his friends.” Jesus certainly did that for us on the cross, and despite the intense sufferings, he would gladly do it again for us, if it meant for the salvation of our soul.

Although death separates us from our loved ones, but we look forward with confidence that we shall be united with our loved ones in heaven. Therefore, this is not a permanent farewell, but only a temporary one. We shall see them again in the heavenly kingdom, the eternal paradise. Here on earth, we can only know God by faith not by sight. But in heaven, we look forward to seeing God face to face.

When we lose someone, there may be feelings of confusion, sadness, grief, shock, or feeling overwhelmed. This may be your first experience with death, or perhaps you have been through it before, so you already know what to expect. Perhaps you have helped comforted others in their grief, have shared their loss, pain and sufferings. Now, it is your turn to be comforted, to be loved, to be supported, to allow others help you bear the pain of your grief.

I remembered when my Grandfather died, it was my first experience with death and my first experience going to a funeral. I was about 8 years old at the time, and I remembered that my brothers, cousins and I were outside Grandfather's house, running around outside the house playing tag, while all the adults were inside the house praying for grandfather. When he died, one of my older cousins ran outside to tell us the bad news. To this day, I could still remember my cousin's eyes. His eyes were not without tears.

For the funeral, my four brothers and I, had to dress up in formal attire which I wasn't accustomed to. At the funeral, I kept wondering about we were suppose to do. What kinds of prayers were we suppose to say. Are we supposed to be sad that we have lost him, or are we supposed to be happy now that he is going to heaven?

Were we suppose to share memories of him. What was the funeral going to be like? What was the burial going to be like? Do we each have to stand up and share a memory about him? Were we suppose to be crying profusely like we really miss him, or just try to contain our emotions? Would it better just to be alone in our emptiness, or to be with family and friends, so that we can support one another.

After the funeral, there were a few things I learned. We all grieve differently. Some of us are able to move quickly to the stage of acceptance. Some of us have regrets, wishing that we could have done more, or spend more time with the person. Some of us don't really know how to react. Some of us may be in a state of shock. Some of us don't really have any emotions. Some of us like to talk and share stories of our loved ones. Others are more quiet, have complex personalities, and do not wear their emotions on their sleeves. But it's interesting because we had the support from each other, from family and friends, and even those that we barely know, fellow parishioners. It's these kinds of support that raises us up from the depths of sorrow to carry on through these difficult times.

At my first funeral for my Grandfather, I also wondered what eternal life is like. What does heaven look like? Where did my Grandfather go? I certainly felt his absence from our life. He was here with us one minute, and then he is no longer here. It was the strangest feeling.

Over the years, I've learned that we all have a spirit. By definition, the spirit is not reduced to having parts, or take up space. In other words, the spirit can freely roam, and can be in different places. It's a kind of thinking that I was not accustomed to until much, much later. Then I began to realize that although my Grandfather no longer has a body, but his spirit continues to live on. He can live in eternal life, but he can also dwell in my heart. He can be in many places at any one time.

We see a glimpse of this in Jesus' life. After his resurrection, Jesus had a resurrected body. He appeared to the disciples in the upper room even though the doors were all locked. But somehow, he was able to be present with them. He also appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. His resurrected body is different from his crucified body, and is not bound to space and time. Just like Christ, we look forward to having a resurrected body, because as St. Paul said that what happened to Jesus, will also happened to us because of our baptism in Christ, our sharing in his death and resurrection. The sprinkling of the Holy Water, the funeral pall, the Easter Candle...they all remind us that we belong to Christ.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the heart of Christianity. It's a mystery that we cannot fully understand from a human perspective, but only by revelation, because on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. When Jesus rose from the dead, the event took place in a garden. Even St. Mary Magdalene thought that Jesus was a gardener.

In that garden, the Lord established a new creation, just as the old creation story of Genesis took place in the Garden of Eden. Because of the resurrection, the Lord paved a new path for humanity. As the Holy Father once shared the insight that death is not a punishment, but a remedy. What sort of remedy is it? It is to allow for a new creation. It is so that we can have a resurrected body.

What else happens? When Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus in the garden, she wanted to cling on to him, or hold on to him. But Jesus said: “Do not cling unto me, for I have yet ascend to my father to your father, to my God and to your God.” In addition to a new creation, and having a resurrected body is to have an eternal home, or eternal life. We trust that the Lord only wants the good for us, and what better than eternal life.

Eternal rest grant unto N., O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon N.

May N. rest in peace. Amen.