Have you ever noticed how God can teach us when we least expect it? The story of Abram is a great example. There he was at the age of 99, pretty certain of the last chapter of his life, and then God appeared and revealed what He intended in what He offered Abram and Sarai. God can do the same for us, and I’d bet already has for each of you in varied ways.
Sometimes God reaches us by bringing us back in time. I mentioned earlier this week about going with my priest brothers for a day of recollection to where I went to camp at age nine. Yesterday, I concelebrated a Funeral Mass for my friend’s dad, Mr. Paul Hannon, at St. Theresa’s in West Roxbury. It was the church that my parents, and my brother and I, first went to in Boston, going even further back in time and evoking many thoughts.
What most caught my attention at the Mass was Father Capone’s homily about Mr. Hannon’s faith and his living a life in full communion with God. This is what God invited Abram and his wife Sarai into with His covenant. It’s what God invites each one of us into with our baptism into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Father Capone spoke of Mr. Hannon’s fruitful life. He highlighted his marriage of 68 years and the eight children that God blessed him and Mrs. Hannon with, not to mention the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Two of them spoke about their gratitude to God for the love and example Mr. and Mrs. Hannon shared with all of them through their faith and love for God and their family.
Hearing the story of Abram and Sarai, who became Abraham and Sarah, and of Mr. and Mrs. Hannon, can cause us to reflect on our relationship with God and our families – how God wants us to be in union with Him so that He may guide and heal and nourish us in life.
Today’s Gospel reminded me of another part of the homily when Father Capone said Mr. Hannon, a faithful Sunday, and many times daily, communicant, called to ask if he could receive the Sacrament of the Sick and Holy Communion at several key points in his life. Just as the leper approached Jesus for healing, we likewise are invited to do the same. God reminds us of this gracious offer today.
After the Funeral Mass, as I prepared to leave the church parking lot, I said a prayer for the soul of Mr. Hannon, for consolation for his family, and that their faith would grow, to follow his and his wife’s example in living a life of friendship and full communion with God. I also thanked God for teaching me and bringing me back to where I first experienced the beauty and grace found in the celebration of the Mass with my family.
May we always listen and be ready for God’s invitation so that we may live a life in full communion with Him and so that our families may share in the joy and love of being united in God. May we teach our families through our actions and words so that they will have the memories to draw upon when it is our time to go home to God.
Father David S. Marcham is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and serves as Vice Postulator and Guild Director of the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton. Before entering St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, he worked for eleven years as a physical therapist in Boston-area hospitals. Ordained in 2005, Father David was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Franklin, Massachusetts. His involvement in Father Peyton’s Cause began in 2007, when he assisted Father George Lucas, C.S.C., in advancing the Cause for Canonization. Appointed Vice Postulator in 2009, Father David oversees the progress of the Cause, directs the Guild, and promotes devotion to Father Peyton’s legacy of family prayer.
