Leicester, 18th July 2007
Dear Brother and Sisters!
It’s quite hard for me to say something proper during this homily because I haven’t had this grace to get to know Mrs Mary Agnes Haw. Nonetheless I’ve heard from Fr. Eddy, your parish priest, a lot of good words about her. And not only from him, but also from different people who are coming to say the words of praise and commendation. She was a great woman! I’m sure that all of you, and especially her children, Mary and Michel can say more words and more accurate words on the occasion of Mary’s funeral.
What I can do is to read the Gospel before the coffin and to try to catch the truth about death and life.
The first and last Jesus’ word is: “Do not let your hearts be troubled!” Don’t be afraid!
Somebody can say: We are not afraid. Mary had a long life, a good life. What can we afraid about? But Jesus knows very well our hearts and says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled!” Because even we belief in resurrection there is always a small question: “What is after the death”? Is it. really true that we are going to meet each other? Maybe it is only the tradition and nothing more… Perhaps our life finishes with the sprinkling the body with holy water…
If Jesus says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled!”, it means, Jesus knows that sometimes we let our hearts be troubled”. It means: it is nothing strange when the people are afraid. It means Jesus understands all feelings: The feelings of those who are in the tombs and of those who are walking still on the surface of the earth.
Yes, Jesus understands it, but against all doubts and all feelings Jesus, who takes Mary today in his arms, he is speaking to the whole world: “Do not let your hearts be troubled” There are many rooms in my father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you.” And not only Jesus. The Book of Wisdom is sure: “The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, but they are in the peace. The Song from the Book of Psalms repeats: “If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear”. And still in our hearts we remember the Gospel’s words: “I’m the resurrection and the life. They who come to me shall never die”.
The resurrection is the fact. It is not only a matter of faith. How the sun rises despite the clouds, despite the blindness of the people, despite we are look at it or not, despite we know what the sun is or not, so the same with the resurrection. We don’t have to believe in Mary’s afterlife. Despite our faith our doubts she’s just begun a new life, the life better then our, happier than our and without end. The new life with God, whom she dedicated her life, with all saints to whom she prayed and in the celestial sanctuary because she knew take care about the terrestrial one.
The first and the last truth about death and life is: Jesus is right.
And Mary knew it form the beginning until the death.