Saturday, April 27, 2013

A funeral of a friend through letters

Today in the parish, i celebrated a funeral for a friend.  This particular friend had lived 91 years plus a few more months.

She was a friend.  She was unique friend.  BAck in 2003, as  a seminarian here in Cuero, I met this particular woman and her daughter.  We instantly hit off.  Over the past 10 years, she and her daughter would write letters to me, keeping me up on their travels and where they were and what was going on.

They were beautifully written letters that i appreciated deeply.
We kept in touch through correspondence.

She passed away this past thursday and she was buried out of St. Michael's in Cuero, where we met and where I am currently the pastor.

IT was truly an honor.

In visiting with her daughter, the daughter made a comment, "I can't image life with our her."

Think about that for a moment.  How often we hear that said about people we love or by others whose loved one's have past.

"I can't imagine life without her."

IT is true that death is difficult, especially when you say farewell to a mother who was also a dear friend, as this daughter experienced throughout her life.

But, we don't have to imagine life with out anyone.  In faith, we know death is not an end to our existence.  There is more that lies ahead.  The veil that separate the living on earth and those alive in God beyond time and space is not very much.

In fact St. Paul says that we are alive in Christ, both here on earth and in heaven.  We are never without those who have faith.

Rather than imagining life without perhaps we should start to imagine life with them in heaven, maybe that would change what we decide and who we decide to live here and now.

My dear friend through letters is not gone, she is alive and we too shall one day meet again when Christ our glory comes.

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