Funeral Homily
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Joseph Tuan Pham
November 1, 2022
Funeral Mass for Ralph (38)
First Reading: Wisdom 4:7–15
Second Reading: Romans 5:5–11
Gospel: Mark 15:33–39.
Life is changed, not ended.
The preface at Mass today tells us that " Indeed, for your faithful, Lord, life is changed, not ended, and when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven."
It is essential to understand that death is not the end but the beginning of a new life for Ralph and joyful hope for us. We pray that our brother Ralph is with God and enjoys eternal life with "the communion of saints;" a life with countless blessings, joy, love, and happiness. That is the life we are all hoping for, the life God is promising to all of us; the life Jesus purchased by his very life on the cross.
In facing suffering in life, we may wonder why God let bad things happen to good people. Or where were you, Lord? Or we may say something like Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." It is okay to ask those questions. However, the only answer I can give is, "I am so sorry, but I do not know." It is the mystery of life and death.
As Jesus comes to weep for his friend Lazarus, we come together today to grieve, cry, and weep at our brother Ralph. Our God wept for those who lost a loved one. I firmly believe that as we gather in this church today and as we shed our tears, our God weeps with us
More importantly than weeping and grieving, we are here to remember, to pray and celebrate Ralph's life. We gather here today to celebrate his life and all that he meant to each one of us. Our God joins us in celebrating the fact that he loved each of us deeply and that our God now loves him deeply and embraces him in his arms. One thing I do know for sure is that God loves Ralph with infinite love, more than we can imagine. He loved us to the point of death. He truly died for each of us on the cross. The good news is that God's love is not based on who we are but based on who He is. God loves us "while we are still sinners."
Life is changed, not ended.
Another thing I know for sure is that Jesus died to save us all. He wants all of us to be with Him not only in this world but in the never-ending life in heaven. In today's readings, we see that Christ indeed died for you and me so that we may live forever. He has risen so that one day we will rise to be with Him forever. This is our conviction. Death now has no power over him. Christ's death and resurrection show us that death is not the end but the beginning of new life.
We, the living, the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory, are all united around the cross of Jesus and resurrection. This is the faith that we profess "I believe in the communion of saints." We can still meet and be close to Ralph by coming to Jesus, by praying for him, and by remembering him.
Today we are here to grieve, to pray and to celebrate the life of our brother Ralph who served this country till the very end and with his very life. Ralph passed from this world to new life while serving others. He has reminded us how Christ died to save us. Christ died for his friends and to save others, and there is "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
Life is changed, not ended.
As we believe our brother Ralph is in the arms of God, we pray for him during this Mass. We pray for him to be embraced by Jesus' unconditional love, and merciful judgment. We pray for him to be embraced by Mother Mary, the mother of God who knows how to bring her children to Jesus. We pray for him to be embraced by Jesus whose arms are wide open on the Cross for he is our brother, who loves Ralph more than we can imagine.
Dear brothers and sisters: Do not be afraid; physical death is not the end but the beginning of new life where love never dies. That new life depends on God's love and how we respond to that love from here and now.