LOUISE MCNIEL

Louis Mcneil... 

Good after everyone, on behalf of St. Joseph’s Church, I would like to extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to Joseph the beloved husband of our departed sister Louis and the family members, relatives, friends and parishioners and everyone here today. We would like to welcome Fr. Joe from St. Paul’s church in Gravenhurst and Fr. Joseph Vano. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, we are here today to thank God Almighty for our beloved departed sister Louise. Our God is full of love and compassion and His kindness surpasses everything else. He showered upon our sister His unlimited blessings and through His only Son Christ our Lord saved her from eternal damnation and by showering upon her the gifts of the Holy Spirit made her a new spiritual being. So, let us thank Him for all the good things that our sister enjoyed and experienced in her life. Let us also pray for ourselves that one day, we might join our sister and all the saints, holy men and women to praise and glorify God Almighty. 

Homily... 

Dear friends in Christ Jesus, 

Faced with death, life might seem meaningless, even our thoughts, words and actions could easily lose their meaning but provided death life is not meaningless and provided death our thoughts, words and actions are not meaningless. Yes, for us baptized in Christ our Lord, life has a deep rich and spiritual meaning. Living is glory and dying is a gain for us. It’s because after Baptism and after accepting Christ our Lord as our personal Savior and Lord, it’s not we who live but Christ lives in us. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, out of love, God our Father created everything and out of love, He made us in His own image and likeness. When God created us, when God created everything, He said, “It is good”. Thus, there was no pain, no suffering and not even death. People lived forever experiencing only happiness and joy and experiencing only love and more love. But as our parents went away from God and then guilt and pain; suffering and death entered this world. 

But at the same time, we know because of our faith in God and because of coming to Church, reading the Holy Bible and putting our faith into practice that God would never abandon His children. He would never go away from us. Yes, our God is slow to anger and ready to forgive and He wants every one of us to be happy and live forever.  

So, the loving God to save us sent His prophets, holy men and women and at last at the fullness of time, His Only Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the Only Son of God by dying on the cross destroyed our death and by rising restored our life and anyone who believes in Christ will never die but have life, yes, life that will never end. 

And the parents of Louise believed in Christ and decided to have her baptized and on the day of Baptism the same voice that was heard by all at Jordan when Jesus was baptized, “Behold my son, with whom I am well pleased” echoed again saying, “Louise, you are my child and with you I am so happy”. 

Through the sacrament of baptism, our friend became a precious child of God and on the day of her baptism, a seed of divine love was sowed deep in her heart. 

Yes, our friend was given that special blessing to nurture and experience the love of God. Every time we come to Church or put her faith into practice, that seed of love began to grow taller and taller towards heaven. 

And at the same time, it’s our human weakness that we begin to question, doubt and go away from the love of God and thus forget to nourish and look after that seed of love and our faith in God begins to waver. But at the same time, Christ never leaves us alone or abandon us. So, He instituted the sacrament of reconciliation where our friend Louise over and over again heard that our God is not a punishing God, but He loves and forgives. Yes, every time she went to the sacrament of reconciliation, all she heard was her sins were completely forgiven and she should go in peace. That is called the unconditional love and unlimited forgiveness. Christ loves and forgives all our sins. Thus, she began to water and nurture the seed of love and began to grow it taller. 

Our friend Louise was highly blessed to receive the real body and blood of Christ. Yes, every time, she came to Church and received the real body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, she became like Christ, full of love and compassion. Christ our Lord promises in the Holy Bible saying, “Anyone who eats the flesh of the Son of God and drinks His blood will never taste death instead that person be given eternal life, a life that will have no end. Louise accepted Christ as her personal Savior and Lord and received the body of Christ. Thus, the seed of faith that fell in her on the day of her baptism became a tree of life through which she reached heaven. Today she is with God celebrating life everlasting. 

Because of faith in Christ, her love began to extend towards this community and others. She was an active member of this community for many years. She was involved with St. Joseph’s music ministry over ten years and by looking around and seeing so many of our parishioners here, you should know how much she loved the Church and how people respected and loved her. 

In today’s gospel, 

Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, if they were not, I would have told you. I am going to the Father, not to abandon you but to prepare a place for you. So that where I am, you may be too. You know the place to where I am going. And Thomas said, “Jesus, Master, we do not know where you are going and how can we know the way...please show us the way”. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one can go to the Father except through me”. 

Yes, our friend Louise accepted Christ as her only way. Every time Fr. Joseph or I went to see her we could see how she witnessed her faith and today she is with God. So, let us thank God for our sister Louise and in a special way, let us pray for ourselves that one day we may join our sister and all the saints and holy men and women to praise and glorify God. Amen.