Readings
Wisdom 3:1-9
Psalm 23
Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39
Matthew 11:25-30
The Lord calls out to us today in the midst of our sadness and our grief, as our funeral liturgy commemorates Devin's entry into eternal life today. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." We hear these comforting words from the 23rd psalm today, of a Lord and a Savior who guides us through life with the loving care that a shepherd gives to his sheep. And after our Lord leads us and guides us, accompanying us through the ups and downs of life, he leads us to refreshing waters at the end our of journey. This is the Lord who is at Devin's side today.
Then, from the Book of Wisdom, we hear about the commonly held belief in the ancient world, of how many think that all life ceases to exist when our earthly life comes to an end. The Book of Wisdom, written in the great Greek center of scholarship and learning of Alexandria, Egypt, reflected this belief expounded by Greek learning and philosophy that so many held several centuries before the birth of Christ. It is a belief that so many in our modern world hold today. Held, the Book of Wisdom as states the belief of our faith: that the souls of the just and the righteous are in the hands of God at the end of their journey here on earth, where no torment shall touch them. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, as who are burdened down on our journey, as we labor through life, we can turn to him to find rest.
Devin who known by his family and friends for the great love he had for them. An outgoing young man, Devin never met a stranger. A warm person, Devin had many close friends. He lived life passionately, to the fullest, never doing anything halfway. His zeal for life extended into the passion he had for his newly found profession of selling real estate. He had earned his real estate license and was eager to make a new start in his life.
In the prayer for the vigil service the evening before a funeral, it states that the ties of love and affection that we forge here on earth do not unravel with an earthly death - they still remain. Devin's faith and his love of God, his love for his family and friends, are testimony to his spirit that will still live on.
St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, reminds me of Devin in a lot of ways. He was a very passionate young man who lived life to its fullest. He was very tenacious and loyal. He had ups and downs in life as a young man. But Ignatius taught that we are to see God in all things, in our joys and our sufferings, in our ups and our downs, in the lived, raw reality of our lives. In the joys the Devin had, and in his struggles as well, God was there in that reality.
I think of Mary today. Mary is the sorrowful mother, as she saw her son die on a cross. Mary was the dutiful disciple, believing in her son as he traveled through his journey of life. Yet, Mary, still had to ponder all these things in her heart in order to make sense of them. We, too, are in shock and sadness and grief, trying to make sense of the life of Devin cut short. So many of us are in shock right now. Even in our faith, we wonder if this makes sense. Yet, God will meet us in this reality as we ponder it in our hearts.
Devin, our love and prayers are lifted up for you today. You are in our hearts.
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