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Godfather's Eulogy to his Godson On behalf of the whole community we extend our deepest
sympathy and our continued prayerful support. One of the facts we are dealing
with is the enormous numbers of people who lost their lives on September 11th. It
is mind boggling to think that innocent people died that day. When you think of
those who were directly affected by these losses, you cannot even begin to count
the toll. It is easy to get lost in the numbers. But each of those who died was
an individual person precious to his/her loved ones a son/daughter,
husband/wife, mother/father, brother/sister, niece/nephew, aunt/uncle, loving
companion, beloved fiance, dear friend. Yes, each of them was very special and
very unique! Today we are here gathered in this Church of Our Lady of the Snows to
pay tribute to one of these very special individuals Ralph Licciardi. Today we
will not forget the others we never can but we will focus in on Ralph and his
life. Yes, this is Ralph's Mass and we are here to remember him to celebrate his
life, to mourn his passing, to rejoice that he is with God to be present to his
family his parents, his brother and
sister and his wife all his relatives. We
are here in great numbers what a great tribute to Ralph! What a great tribute to
his family! We come then to
celebrate this Memorial Mass for Ralph, and there are three things that I wish
to share with you... 1 . We should never forget the love we
have shared with those we have lost. The Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell said it
so well: "To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to
die." As long as we keep Ralph in our hearts, he will always be part of our
lives. Some members of Ralph's family have been chosen and selected today to
share reflections and memories. We will listen to these at the end of Mass. We
will have an opportunity to gather downstairs after Mass to continue to share
stories and memories and look at pictures of Ralph and his family. Yes, we
celebrate a Memorial Mass for Ralph to bring closure, but also to remember that
where there is love where there is family/friends, memories never fade our loved
one is always with us! 2.
It is so important to lean on each other to draw strength from each
other! Broken hearts yes, broken spirits never! Whether it is in the family
circle or the circle of friends, each person needs to rind the way to cope.
Trauma and tragedy that we have been dealing with that the Licciardi family has
been dealing with cannot be handled in isolation. We need to lean on each other;
we need to listen to each other; we need to stand next to each other; we need to
pray in our Church together; we need to pray for one another. We cannot go
forward alone. We don't have to. 3.
How important it is to continue to reflect on the role of God and the
role of our faith. I do not presume to speak for God. I think we have to let God
speak for Himself. One thing that is for certain: the God that you and I believe
in is a God of Love who knows our pain, who helps us in our suffering.
God who promises us that we will live with him in total love one day. An unknown
author put it so well as he wrote this ... I said, "God, I hurt." And God said, "I know." I said, " God, I cry a lot." And God said, "That is why I gave you tears." I said, "God, I am so depressed." And God said, "That is why I gave you
sunshine." I said, "God, life is so hard." And God said, "that is why I gave you loved
ones." I said, "God, my loved one died." And God said, "So did mine." I said, "God, it is such a loss." And God said, "I saw mine nailed to a cross." I said, "God, but yours lives." And God said, "So does yours." I said, "God, where are they now?" God said, "Mine is on my right and yours is in the
light." I said, "God it hurts." And God said, "I know." Nothing will ever be able to separate us
from the love of God made visible in Jesus, God's Son! As a people of faith, we
know where Ralph is. My prayer is that we will feel the loving arms of God
wrapped around us and they are wrapped around Ralph and know in our hearts that
God will never forsake us as we trust in Him. My friends three things I suggest
... 1.
Keep the memory of Ralph alive in our hearts. 2.
Draw strength from the presence of so many good people. 3. Let
our faith work for us. Let our faith lead us to eternal life! |
