"There is nothing I can say or do that can take away your sorrow..."
That was as far as I got in my attempt to console Catherine, the mother of Estella, the child who perished in the tidal wave tragedy in Phuket recently. The tears in her eyes was enough for me to hold back my words a while before I tried again to give her some encouraging words. The helplessness of the situation was apparent. Catherine then told me that it was consoling to note that Estella died on the Feast of the Holy Family, at such an age where the innocence of a child is there as a telling sign of family love and bond that manifest the love that exists between Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The parents of Estella were at the parish office to make arrangements for their daughter's funeral this coming Tuesday at 2.00 p.m. I am to be the celebrant for the funeral mass. A large crowd of people are expected to be present and it is going to quite harrowing for me to remain calm and collected amidst the sorrow of having to say goodbye to someone so young. Estella, whom I baptised early this year. Estella, whom her parents had great hopes for her future.
I am going to be hard put as to what to say for the homily on an occasion like this when the question of God's fairness in allowing such an incident like this to happen can so easily come into the question. In about 2 hours from now, I have another funeral to do and am still recovering from the past weeks events of Christmas Masses and other festivities and now moving into the New Year.
I feel as though I am moving and just living this day that flickers in and out between the two extremes of happiness and grief that I don't know which is which anymore. The whole point to this matter seemed to come to its "comical" setting when, yesterday, as I was about to leave for a wake at Mt Vernon in a parishioner's car, another lady came running out to me and asked if I can be the celebrant for her wedding next year! And as if to add more farce to the matter, I had to pick up a call just now from someone asking if we can eat meat today (Friday) as it is the eve of the New Year... I literally had to control myself from shouting back at him some words which the residents of Hell wouldn't even want to use! I gritted my teeth and, as much as I can muster, told him calmly that of course he can eat meat, not because it is the eve of the New Year but more importantly we are still in the midst of Christmas Octave. But the chap didn't seem to understand what I was saying and kept asking if he can take meat because of New Year. I gave up and said Yes! and put down the phone.
Today is the eve of the New Year. I want to say "Have a blessed and fruitful New Year", but with the fragility of life and the uncertainties of what the future holds, I am not sure if it sounds hypocritical and hollow. Instead, let me offer this soothing passage from Habakkuk:
For even though the fig does not blossom...
even fields produce no harvest...
and stalls stand empty of cattle
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord
and exult in the Lord God my saviour.
The Lord God is my strength.
Let the Lord be our strength in these times of sorrow and pain.
That was as far as I got in my attempt to console Catherine, the mother of Estella, the child who perished in the tidal wave tragedy in Phuket recently. The tears in her eyes was enough for me to hold back my words a while before I tried again to give her some encouraging words. The helplessness of the situation was apparent. Catherine then told me that it was consoling to note that Estella died on the Feast of the Holy Family, at such an age where the innocence of a child is there as a telling sign of family love and bond that manifest the love that exists between Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The parents of Estella were at the parish office to make arrangements for their daughter's funeral this coming Tuesday at 2.00 p.m. I am to be the celebrant for the funeral mass. A large crowd of people are expected to be present and it is going to quite harrowing for me to remain calm and collected amidst the sorrow of having to say goodbye to someone so young. Estella, whom I baptised early this year. Estella, whom her parents had great hopes for her future.
I am going to be hard put as to what to say for the homily on an occasion like this when the question of God's fairness in allowing such an incident like this to happen can so easily come into the question. In about 2 hours from now, I have another funeral to do and am still recovering from the past weeks events of Christmas Masses and other festivities and now moving into the New Year.
I feel as though I am moving and just living this day that flickers in and out between the two extremes of happiness and grief that I don't know which is which anymore. The whole point to this matter seemed to come to its "comical" setting when, yesterday, as I was about to leave for a wake at Mt Vernon in a parishioner's car, another lady came running out to me and asked if I can be the celebrant for her wedding next year! And as if to add more farce to the matter, I had to pick up a call just now from someone asking if we can eat meat today (Friday) as it is the eve of the New Year... I literally had to control myself from shouting back at him some words which the residents of Hell wouldn't even want to use! I gritted my teeth and, as much as I can muster, told him calmly that of course he can eat meat, not because it is the eve of the New Year but more importantly we are still in the midst of Christmas Octave. But the chap didn't seem to understand what I was saying and kept asking if he can take meat because of New Year. I gave up and said Yes! and put down the phone.
Today is the eve of the New Year. I want to say "Have a blessed and fruitful New Year", but with the fragility of life and the uncertainties of what the future holds, I am not sure if it sounds hypocritical and hollow. Instead, let me offer this soothing passage from Habakkuk:
For even though the fig does not blossom...
even fields produce no harvest...
and stalls stand empty of cattle
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord
and exult in the Lord God my saviour.
The Lord God is my strength.
Let the Lord be our strength in these times of sorrow and pain.
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1 comment:
Thks Fr Aloy for asking me this am u went sumthing like "WAT HAPPENED??? 1stly i woke up 6plus stonning away b4 left home STARTED RAINING, I was like here am i wan to go bk hfc said my little prayer, pse stop the rain. managed to make it lah a/f mass rain started again. surprisingly rain stopped. told God plse huh i wake up 6plus to go mass, helo??? 2ndly mei2 cme back i tink past 4am and she asked me where u going??? it's oni 6plus i said church she was like u go i oink2.
now i understand y she so moody past few days, always on bbc, krabi website - latest updates. she was like screaming at her fren again sumthing like u come back and assist at SPH oso wat........come back lah, wat u doing in phuket??? i am oso on leave we can volunteer in spore 2gether or sumthing like tat. every other day they can contact each other sounds like 'lovers' tiff'. Pse pray for him.
Fr Pat misses Fr Aj huh??? heehee......
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