All Is Not Lost
Homily for the Mass of Christian Burial for William H. Ruby (1991-2012)
Preached on January 28, 2012 at St. Andrew Catholic Church, Harrodsburg KY
Readings: Wisdom 3:1-9, Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; Matthew 5:1-12a
When someone young dies, we grieve over all that is lost: the potential that had yet to be realized, the future that had yet to be lived. We grieve over what could have been as much as we would grieve over what was.
But the Book of Wisdom reminds us that such is the view of the foolish: to assume that this life is better than the afterlife, that what could have been is greater than what will be. As a people of faith, we cannot see passing away as an affliction, going forth from us as utter destruction (Wis. 3:2). We believe that there is more to look forward to than what we have here, and our young William only got to it before any of us did.
Today Holy Mother Church in Her funeral liturgy assures us that, in spite of our fears and anxieties, all is not lost: our loved one can be found in the presence of the One who gives us everything that is good (cf. Eucharistic Prayer IV). It is true that we will never again get to watch William work with his hands; we will never again see him take a diesel motor apart and put it back together. But, we are assured that he now rests in the arms of the God on whose hands his name and ours are written (cf. Is. 49:16). We will never again get to see him search for that elusive bargain in the US-127 yard sale. But, we are assured that he has found his just reward at the end of this life’s road. We will never again get to watch him cheer for that longshot at the Keeneland track. Instead, we are assured that he has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7); we are assured that he is standing right there in the winner’s circle.
There is so much for us to grieve about when we think of all that is lost, all that William had lost, all that we have lost, now that he is gone. But there is also so much for us to rejoice about when we think of how much more he has gained. William is now beyond our worries: his soul is in the hand of God and no torment shall touch him again (cf. Wis. 3:1). We need not be anxious that, with his life’s lamp extinguished, he has been left in the dark roaming alone through the valley of the shadow of death (cf. Ps. 23:4). Instead, we must rejoice that he has at his side Christ the Good Shepherd leading him to the green pastures (cf. Ps. 23:2, 4) where the everlasting day has dawned, where that glorious Easter morning has broken.
