Homily for Memorial Mass for Bro. Kevin Barry

Homily for the Memorial Mass
for Bro. Kevin Barry, CFC

July 22, 2021
Luke 24: 13-16, 28-35
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Home, New Rochelle, N.Y.

When we pray for our deceased brothers, we attest that “for the love of Christ [they] walked the way of perfect charity” (Collect).

That is the way we all have professed, and we are truly blessed when we have brothers who have walked that road ahead of us—or better, with us—and shown us by their lives “the way of perfect charity.”

If our brother Kevin has done so, and if men who remain among us are doing so, that’s because Christ has 1st walked with us.  “Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,” Luke reports of the 2 disciples leaving Jerusalem and walking to Emmaus (24:15), one of whom, Luke tells us, was Cleopas (24:18).  The other very likely was his wife, who had stood by the cross (John 19:25) with Jesus’ mother and Mary Magdalene (to whom we say today, “Happy feastday, Mary, and thank you for pursuing the risen Jesus and announcing him to the apostles).  And very likely the pair had reached home when they came to “the village to which they were going” (24:28) and invited Jesus to sup with them (24:29-30).

The journey of Jesus with Mr. and Mrs. Cleopas is a paradigm for how he walks with us, explaining the Scriptures (24:27)—especially by opening our eyes (24:31-32) to the way of perfect charity.  Paul describes that charity in 1 Cor 13; Jesus does more than describe it by modeling it in his ministry and in his walking with us.

That journey comes to its perfection when he invites us, as he has now invited Kevin, to come in and sup with him where perfect love reigns:  God loving us, and we loving God and all the saints.