Homily for the funeral of Karen Burman June 07, 2013
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: When Jesus saw the crowds he went up the
mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for
they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will
be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for
they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for
they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are
persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you
when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you
falsely because of me. Rejoice and
be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus
they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The Gospel of the Lord
We gather to remember Karen, bringing
so many memories. We also gather to
grieve over the untimely and tragic loss of this woman who was in some ways
bigger than life: with her floppy hats, her expressive, out-going personality,
her walker that seemed to connect with everything in its vicinity. And we gather to pray, in thanksgiving for
her life, for the privilege of having known her. And more, we pray that God will be merciful
to her and welcome her into the presence of the Savior she so loved and
honored, Jesus Christ.
Karen did not have an easy
life. She was beset by demons, voices,
feelings and compulsions that troubled her.
But she always sought help.
Whenever we priests saw Karen coming we knew she would have a
request. But what she wanted was just a
little of our time, and a hug, and a blessing – either for herself, or for some
of her many religious articles, or for some combination of the two. It was not a big request, but it helped her
cope. And while I was often in a hurry
and felt a little inconvenienced, I also could not help but sense that spending
a little time listening, and hugging, and blessing, made me better. Karen had that effect.
In the Gospel for this funeral
Mass Jesus teaches us: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit
are not the materially poor, though many of them are, but rather those who know
their need of and dependence on God.
Karen certainly knew that. She
was aware, probably more than many of us, of just how utterly and totally
dependant we are upon God’s grace. In
this she was blessed, Jesus tells us.
And now – according to His word - the Kingdom of heaven is hers.
“Blessed are they who mourn, for
they will be comforted” we are taught.
Karen mourned, burdened by her afflictions, beset by her demons. We pray that now she is truly comforted by
the Lord who promised her comfort.
“Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the land.” Karen could come
on strong, and did not let disappointments discourage her. But she was also meek, in that she was always
most accepting of the Lord’s Will for her.
Now she inherits the land.
“Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, - Blessed are the merciful,
- Blessed are the clean of
heart, - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Karen lived these in one way or
another. Now, our faith tells us, she is
truly a child of God. Not by her doing,
but by God’s free gift in Jesus Christ.
It is a gift offered to every one of us here.
Still we grieve. Our hearts go out to her family, to her good
friend and companion Stanley, to all who love and miss Karen. Death remains a mystery we cannot explain
away. But we do come seeking peace. Peace for Karen, peace for ourselves. The peace that Jesus promised to give
us.
And we look forward to the day
when we will be reunited with Karen, and all our departed loved ones, when
there will be no more tears and no more goodbyes.
AMEN.
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