the Funeral for a Stranger?

On Sunday I celebrated a funeral mass for a woman whom I only knew for a few minutes before I saw her pass away. A week previously I was called from the hospital to minister to her as she was dieing. Her family was around her as the Lord embraced her for eternity. On the day she went to be with the Lord her son had told me a little about her life and faith. That frail lifeless body that I had seen lying in that hospital bed had seen adversity one only reads of in books. She was a saint of great faith. I never knew her but she was my grandmother, mom, aunt , cousin and big sister. She wasn't a stranger she was family and I was sad to see her go. Later the family would ask me to celebrate the funeral mass which I was more than glad to do .I had asked Deacon Joshua to serve at the funeral mass and he did . After the service he said he had wondered what I was going to say about her as I didn't know her but he was surprised that there was as much familiarity in what I had said.

I have done some funerals -not hundreds- but some. I have never done a funeral for a stranger although half the funerals I've done were for folks I never really met. Deacon Joshua and I talked about this for a while. I guess I'd never really thought about it before. But I always feel that I am laying a family member to rest when I celebrate a funeral mass. I feel that way whether I know if the person was Christian or not. Our common need for a savior makes for kinship I guess. Doing a christian funeral for a known atheist is blog entry for another day.

This last funeral was quite a blessing. I was blessed to pray the commendation for Vera, a woman who spent a total of 7 years in two different prison camps during WWII and after . She worked doing anything she could to provide a good life and education for her only child- a son. These are experiences that challenge ones faith enormously -SHE NEVER LOST FAITH. I don't know every detail of her life but I know enough to feel proud to have been there for last breath.

Rest in peace Vera.