Funeral – Don Fontaine
MSB - January 15, 1999
Sympathy to family & friends
When we come together for a funeral it is a time to remember. Over the past few days Don’s family & friends have spent time sharing their memories of Don and his life. We remember the good times with Don. He is remembered as a father and grandfather and as a friend. His family talked about the joy Don found in simple things like working motors, fishing, camping and just being outdoors. They talked about how he and Betty were not only husband and wife, they were best friends. There was always a special twinkle in Don’s eyes when he would talk with me about his grandchildren. You had a special place in his heart. We also remember the difficult times in Don’s life. Don suffered a lot in his later years. He suffered physically but he also was devastated when his daughter Sheri died and when his wife Betty died. The death of a loved one can be a time for us to remember - to remember the good times as well as the difficult times. Each person who knew Don has memories of him that allow him to live on in our lives.
A funeral, however, is not just a time for us to remember. It is also a time for us to reflect - quite often about really deep things like the meaning of life... and the meaning of death. Don had a real hard time understanding why he suffered so much with his emphysema & cancer, why Sheri died so young, why Betty died, why? Because of Don’s experience with the Church through Fr. Bill Keefe, Sr. Eileen Buetel, Fr. Mike Foltz and others when Sheri and Betty were sick and dying, I believe Don began to realize that Jesus was the person to turn to with his questions. I believe he decided to join the Church last summer not only because he promised Betty, but also because deep down he was looking for answers.
How do we find hope during the really difficult times in our lives?
These are heavy-duty reflections. Things like finding hope and meaning in suffering is a mystery that humanity has struggled with from the beginning of time. I don't pretend to have the answer, but I do believe our scriptures today give us hope.
We are reminded that the meaning of life and death and suffering only make sense because there is resurrection and none of it makes any sense without faith God and faith in Jesus. In an appearance to his followers after his death Jesus responds to their concern about his death by saying, "do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me."
Faith is the key word here. Faith has been given to us in our baptism. It is in living out our faith that we have a relationship with Jesus and his father. Faith may not allow us to understand why there is so much suffering in our world. God does not promise us lives without suffering, but God does promise that when our hearts are troubled, if we look with eyes of faith, we can find hope because we will see the risen Jesus walking with us showing the way. When Don’s heart was troubled during the illnesses of Sheri and Betty, I think he saw Jesus in the comfort that he received from the family and friends who gathered to support one another and from people like Sr. Eileen & Fr. Mike. It is in those times when our hearts are troubled and we are suffering, that we need to turn to Jesus in prayer, turn to Jesus in our church community, turn to Jesus in the care and support of family and friends.
It is also faith that gives us hope to believe that in death, Jesus has lead Don to a place where there is no more death, no more suffering... A place where he will live in peace - forever.