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Into the arms of a larger family

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Funeral: Death of a child Readings: Lamentations 3:22-26; Revelation 7:9-10, 15-17; Mark 10:13-16 It is impossible and unwise to try to compare human sufferings, but many people have said that losing a child is the worst possible agony in life. One reason the death of a child is so wrenching is that it simply feels wrong, unnatural, so contrary to every instinct we have about the right order of things, the proper flow of life. We expect the next generation to outlive us. We expect to watch babies grow into children, and then into teenagers and young adults. We count on the ordinary progression of years, on the gradual, satisfying unfolding of the developmental process as a child grows physically, mentally, and spiritually. But even more than the feeling that a child's death is outrageously wrong, most of the pain comes from the fact that the love we bear for our children is unbelievably strong. Anyone who has given birth to or nurtured or raised a child can tell you how surprising it is to experience the intensity and the depth of love a child evokes. Perhaps it is programmed into our biology, one of the ways that God has made us like himself, this fierce attachment, this devotion we have to our children. The desire to protect them and the joy we experience in their presence is beyond description. And so to lose such a beloved child is like watching the sun fall from the sky. Naturally, you cannot be comforted now. You are in extreme emotional pain. You may feel that you cannot go on living, yourself. Or perhaps you are still in shock, living in that trance of numbness that the mind creates to cushion you from the unbearable fact of this loss. In these early days, and in this liturgy, this is simply a time for the church and the gathered community to carry you. We will hold before you all the symbols of hope, images and words and signs of God's guarantee that your child's life continues, now and forever in the beautiful kingdom." So now, in these early days, and in this liturgy, this is simply a time for the church and the gathered community to carry you. We will hold before you all the symbols of hope, images and words and signs of God's guarantee that your child's life continues, now and forever in the beautiful kingdom. This does nothing to ease your longing to hold your precious child right now, but some day, weeks, or months or years in the future, you will remember what you saw and heard here today, and these seeds of hope will grow into a vision, a deep knowing that will support you through the rest of your life. In baptism N. was brought into this eternal family of hope, love, and mutual support, and entered into everlasting life, which goes on now in a place beyond our sight. We believe in the communion of saints, and we know that N. has gone from our arms into the arms of those others, members of our greater family, who live now on the other side. There is a great multitude there, in the presence of our Lord Jesus, who is both tender Lamb and guiding Shepherd to them. There, in his presence, they will not hunger or thirst anymore. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water, and will wipe away every tear from their eyes. As desperately, wrenchingly hard as it is for us to let go of this one we love, still we can cling to this promise, this faith that tells us that those who have died in Christ are alive in perfect peace. But even if we can believe that N. is safe and happy, enveloped in God's love, we ourselves are left bereft. For this we have only the gentle and trustworthy word of God, the assurance that the favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent. Childhood itself is a profound mystery, and one of the most amazing qualities of children is their ability to trust. When Jesus urges us to accept the kingdom of God like a child, perhaps this is what he means. If we allow ourselves to wait and hope in silence for the saving help of God, it will come. Grace and love and comfort and strength will come, in time, in so many ways, from so many directions. Even though the pain of this loss will never go away, there will come a day when you will see it all, N. and yourself and your whole life, through the infinitely compassionate eyes of God. Gratitude will flower, and you will understand the immense blessing that was N.'s brief life on earth, which has now become eternal life in heaven.

Authors Mary Vineyard

funeral death of a child/baby Lamentations 3:22-26 Mark 10:13-16 Revelation 7:9-10, 15-17

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Let the little children come to me

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Sacrament: Baptism Readings: Mark 10:13-16 People brought little children to Jesus, the gospel tells us. They sensed the presence of God flowing through this man, and they wanted their children to benefit from the holiness and blessing and protection Jesus brought to those near him. And so you, the parents and family and friends of this child, have brought this baby here today to be baptized. You have the same desire for your child that parents have always had for their children: to surround them with goodness and love. And you are in the right place, for it is with the touch of the waters of Baptism that Jesus touches this child. Strangely, though, the gospel story goes on, those who were already close to Jesus, his disciples who enjoyed his blessing every day, resisted. In face of the faith of those who were bringing children to Christ, the disciples made a sign of their own hardness of heart. Not for the first or last time in the gospels, the disciples seemed to want to have Jesus all to themselves. Perhaps they were jealous; maybe in a misguided way they wanted to protect their master from all those who sought his holy and compassionate presence. Whatever the reason, Jesus saw what was happening and was angry. He was there to welcome all to God’s family. We are doing the same. In Baptism today we will welcome this child into the family of God. We are opening our hearts to this child, and by doing so we are opening ourselves that much more to God’s love. By welcoming children Jesus was telling us what we require to be his true disciples: recognizing our own dependence on God and our own need to trust God. Only by doing that will we able to live up to what Christ is asking of us." Jesus also saw something very important in children: Small and helpless though they might have been, they had something his disciples were not showing. Children, especially infants, depend on the adults around them. By welcoming children Jesus was telling us what we require to be his true disciples: recognizing our own dependence on God and our own need to trust God. Only by doing that will we able to live up to what Christ is asking of us. This child needs the loved ones around them to survive and thrive. In the same way they need God to help them grow into children of God. We pledge today to help this child become that son or daughter of God. We also promise to let this child speak to us about the necessity to realize our own reliance on God and the faith we must have to live as followers of Jesus. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs,” Jesus said. “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Today, then, as Jesus does, we take this child in our arms and bless them. We baptize them into the nearness of God, where we pray they will remain forever.

Authors Joel Schorn

sacrament baptism Mark 10:13-16

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Word of the Week

24 November 2024

Solemnity

\sə-'lem-nə-tē\

From Latin sollemnis for “fixed ceremonial,” highest-ranking day of the church calendar that celebrates a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, Mary, the Mother of God, or another important saint. Solemnities override every other feast or memorial, including Sundays in Ordinary Time. The church assigns Sundays and solemnities three readings—from a prophet, apostle, and gospel—to instruct the faithful in the work of salvation.

Pronunciation Read more

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