Homily for Funeral of Eufronia Maranan

Homily for the Funeral of Eufronia Maranan

April 12, 2024
Rev 21: 1-7
Phil 3: 20-21
St. Anthony, Nanuet, N.Y.

“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race” (Rev 21: 3).

The Annunciation
(St. Catharine's Church, Spring Lake, N.J.)

Last Monday, the Church celebrated the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord—the Son of God’s incarnation as a human being.  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).  God came to dwell with the human race in our flesh and blood.  “He shared our human nature in all things but sin” (Euch. Pr. IV).

The feast of the Annunciation followed right after our celebration of Easter, the celebration of our Lord’s victory over death.  The Lord who dwells with the human race and makes us his people wants to remain with us always as our God still living in our flesh (Rev 21:3).

Our Lord Jesus, risen, has defeated suffering and death for us.  “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning” (21:4), for he has defeated death for all who believe in him and follow him.  “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Phil 3:21), and so we shall live with Christ forever as citizens of heaven (3:20), his own people, his own sisters and brothers in fact.

Lala believed all this, and so she served Jesus all her life in prayer, in love for her family, in teaching the young to be honest citizens here and faithful Christians, in raising [daughter’s name] and [granddaughter’s name] in the faith and in virtue.  Her heart burned within her when she heard God’s word (cf. Luke 24:32), when she conversed with our Lord and our Blessed Mother in prayer, and when she recognized Jesus in the Eucharist (24:35) every week.  Her union with the glorified body of our Lord in this Blessed Sacrament prepared her for resurrection with him on the Last Day.

On that Last Day, all of us who have followed Jesus to “the holy city, a new Jerusalem” (Rev 21:2), will dwell with him, victors over death.  We’re filled with hope and with Easter joy for Lala and for our own destiny, thanks to Jesus Christ our Savior.