Song: Christ be beside me
Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me, shield in the strife;
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising, light of my life.
Christ be in all hearts thinking about me,
Christ be on all tongues telling of me.
Christ be the vision in eyes that see me,
In ears that hear me Christ ever be.
Welcoming Blessing
FRIENDSHIP AND LOSS
So often in a memorial, we focus on hope and resurrection, and we don’t want to acknowledge our real sadness and loss. But Jesus felt grief and cried at the death of his friend, even though he knew his friend would be restored to life. As we begin this time together, we take the time to feel our shared pain, knowing that Jesus himself shares our heartache, as well as healing it.
Reading from the Gospel of John (11:15-44 )
Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. The sisters sent this message to Jesus: ‘Lord, the man youlove is ill.’ On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Martha said, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother,’ Jesus said to her, ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies, he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said. ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
As soon as Mary saw Jesus she threw herself at his feet. At the sight of her tears and those with her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight for the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb; it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I know indeed that you always hear me.’ Then he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bandages and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’
Song: When grief is raw
Sung to the Scottish folk song tune, ‘O Waly, waly’
O Christ, you wept when grief was raw,
And felt for those who mourned their friend;
Come close to where we would not be
And hold us, numbed by this life’s end.
The well-loved voice is silent now
And we have much we meant to say;
Collect our lost and wandering words
And keep them till the endless day.
We try to hold what is not here
and fear for what we do not know;
Oh, take our hand in yours, Good Lord,
And free us to let our friend go.
In all our loneliness and doubt
Through what we cannot realise,
Address us from your empty tomb
And tell us that life never dies.
Reading: a reflection from Fr Ron Rolheiser
There is such a thing as a good death, one that, however sad, leaves behind a sense of peace. In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives a long farewell speech at the Last Supper on the night before he dies. He tries to calm his disciples, reassure them, give them things to cling to, and he ends with these words: I am going away, but I will leave you a final gift, the gift of my peace. When Jesus promises peace as his farewell gift, he identifies it with the Holy Spirit; and, as we know, that is the spirit of charity, joy, peace, patience, goodness, long-suffering, fidelity, mildness, and chastity.
Peace is made of two things: harmony and completeness. Some people leave behind a legacy of harmony and completeness, a spirit of understanding, compassion, affirmation, and unity. These people are missed but the ache is a warm one, a nurturing one, one of happy memory. By the way we live and die, we can leave behind a spirit that brings a warmth every time our memory is evoked.
LOVING AND SERVING OTHERS
Song: Here I am, Lord
I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin, My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord, Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord, If you lead me,
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them; They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love alone.
Who will speak my word to them, Whom shall I send?
I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them, My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide, Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them, Whom shall I send?
Father Seán had a passion for the calling we find so many times in the Bible – the call of Isaiah, the call of Jesus himself, and the call of every one of us. To bring the Good News to the poor, to those enslaved or controlled by others, to those who suffer in any way. With this reading from the prophet Isaiah, we remember and honour this dimension of Fr. Seán’s faith and witness.
Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (58:6-12)
Is this not the sort of fast that pleases me: to break unjust shackles, and undo the strap of the yoke; to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke; to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, to clothe those you see to be naked, and not turn from your own kin? Then will your light shine like the dawn, and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you, and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and He will say, ‘I am here.’
If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed; Your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon. The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never run dry. You will rebuild the ancient ruins, build up on the old foundations. You will be called ‘Conflict-Mender’, ‘Restorer of ruined Houses.’
Bidding Prayers: the response is ‘Hear our prayer.’
THE POWER OF A PERSONAL PRAYER LIFE
Song: O God, you search me and you know me
O God, you search me and you know me.
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze.
When I walk or lie down, you are before me,
Ever the maker and keeper of my days.
You know my resting and my rising.
You discern my purpose from afar,
and with love everlasting you besiege me:
In ev’ry moment of life or death, you are.
Before a word is on my tongue, Lord,
you have known its meaning through and through.
You are with me beyond my understanding:
God of my present, my past and future too.
Although your Spirit is upon me,
still I search for shelter from your light.
There is nowhere on earth I can escape you:
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight.
For you created me and shaped me,
gave me life within my mother’s womb.
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you:
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.
Fr. Seán was a ‘people person’. But friendly and outgoing as he was, it was deeply important to him to nurture a private, inward prayer life, in stillness and silence. One of his favourite spiritual writers was Fr. Ron Rolheiser. We have selected some reflections from Fr. Rolheiser to share, as we join Fr. Seán in the desire to deepen our private relationship with God.
Reflection from Fr. Ron Rolheiser:
‘God’s Quiet Presence in Our Lives’
One of the reasons why we struggle with faith is that God’s presence inside us and in our world is rarely dramatic, overwhelming, sensational, something impossible to ignore. God doesn’t work like that. Rather, God’s presence is something that lies quiet and seemingly helpless inside us. It rarely makes a huge splash.
We misunderstand and look for something that is loud and dramatic. But Jesus’ teaching about God’s presence in our lives makes clear that this presence is mostly quiet and hidden, a plant growing silently as we sleep, yeast leavening dough hidden from our eyes, summer slowly turning a barren tree green, a man or woman forgiving an enemy. God works in ways that are quiet and hidden from our eyes.
God lies inside us, deep inside. That presence is never overpowering, it has within it a gentle compulsion towards something higher, which invites us to draw upon it. And, if we do draw upon it, it gushes up in us in an infinite stream that instructs us, nurtures us, and fills us with endless energy.
God lies inside us as an invitation that fully respects our freedom, never overpowers us; but also never goes away.
God lies everywhere, inside us and around us, almost unfelt, largely unnoticed, and easily ignored, a quiet, gentle nudge; but, if drawn upon, the ultimate stream of love and energy.
Song: Be still, and know that I am God
1. Be still, and know that I am God. (3 times)
2. I am the God that comforts you. (3 times)
3. In stillness, Lord, I wait on you. (3 times)
4. In you, oh Lord, I hope and trust. (3 times)
EULOGY
WALKING THE LONG ROAD OF PILGRIMAGE
After he left our community of St. Peter’s, Fr. Seán fulfilled a lifelong wish to walk the ancient pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James, Camino Santiago de Compostela in Spain. As you shall hear, this was not only a physical challenge, but much more a spiritual journey, and a symbol of Fr. Seán’s pathway through life. And now, it has become his pathway beyond life, as he makes the final stage of his ‘pilgrimage’.
A Reading from the Letter to the Philippians (3:8-16)
I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him. I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts; I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is in God and based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. Let us go forward on the road that has brought us to where we are.
Fr. Seán’s journal of his pilgrimage on the Camino
Beauty was all around me. I joke with many by telling them that wherever Truth, Goodness and Beauty abide there is God. One might like to take the Arsenal as an example, the greatness and quality of the football, the beauty, skill, finesse and artistry of the players.
For me, to experience the mercy of God, I truly glimpse God’s beauty and love. To share the friendship, comradery, companionship, love and openness of fellow pilgrims is a joy, to see a flower bloom in all its majesty is a delight, to look back and see the sun rise giving shape to all around me is magical, to hear the chirping and singing of the birds is music to my ears, to listen to a babbling brook gives me a sense of eternity, the elegance and mastery of people who created and built Cathedrals gives praise to God, to look across the valley after climbing a high mountain makes me want to sing, ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’.
To arrive at Santiago De Compostela and celebrate the pilgrim Mass gives me a foretaste of the Eternal banquet God has prepared for us in Heaven. I can’t become aware of these unless I go beyond the difficulties and trials, worries and anxieties of life, and try to live in the now.
Living in the now is very difficult. It’s a lonely, empty place and yet it’s the place where real life is lived. We carry a lot of ‘baggage’ from the past and we load ourselves with worries and anxieties for the future. So often we are in a hurry to get to our destination and forget about the journey. Physically one learns very fast on pilgrimage how baggage weighs you down. The physical word ‘baggage’ is the best metaphor for our spiritual life also. Camino calls one to let go. Love calls one to let go. I must empty myself.
Pilgrimage focuses me on the now, an experience other pilgrims also had. I begin to learn to take one step at a time. Instead of worrying about the weather, I begin to accept whatever comes and prepare for it. In wondering how far I had to walk in a day I’d entertain myself by measuring it by how many golf courses it was!
But God is present in the now. Now is the only time I can live, and it puts me in touch with eternity. That life and nurture I received was wholesome for body and spirit and mind. Pilgrimage evokes within me the notion that all life is a journey leading Home to fulfilment and life, to where I can be my authentic self and discover my true dignity and destiny; son of my loving Father held in God’s embrace eternally.
The journey is more important than the destination for now. The people I meet, the experiences I have, the difficulties I face, the lessons I learn, the disappointments I encounter and the joys that delight me; matures me, readies me, prepares me and equips me for Home.
Song: Fr Seán’s Pilgrimage (sung by the choir)
On the pilgrimage way, Left behind every care.
God be with me this day, God who always is there.
Keep with me in these lands, Fields and forests and sea.
Keep me in your hands; Peaceful I will be.
Where the eagles soar, Where the heart flies free,
Lord of evermore waits in love for me.
Stay with me in the night, at the day’s tired end.
Fill this darkness with light; be the heart’s dear Friend.
Lord of every power, Mighty King of Kings,
Gently guards my heart under sheltering wings.
So the mystery unfolds, now the long road is past.
Still in kindness He holds; now He brings me at last,
Where the ages fall, at the journey’s end,
In the Source of All, waits the heart’s dear Friend.
MY LOVE AND PRAYERS FOR YOU
When many people leave a job or a posting, they really leave it behind – work, tasks, and people alike. But when Fr. Seán moved on to his next parish, he kept in touch and continued to care for those he had left behind in our community. Above all, he asked us to keep praying for him, and promised to continue praying for us.
A Reading from the Letter to the Philippians (1:3-11)
I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News. It is only natural that I should feel like this toward you all, since you have shared the privileges which have been mine: both my chains and my work establishing the Gospel. You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you.
My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more; and never stop improving your knowledge, and deepening your perception, so that you can always recognise what is best.
Lighting of Candles
Those who wish may go forward and light a candle for Fr. Seán and place it on the altar.
Song: Ubi caritas
Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.
[Where caring and love are, God is there.]
THE BLESSING I LEAVE YOU
Love never ends, but lives on in our hearts; so although we grieve, we never fully lose those who we love and who loved us. For those with faith, that love lives on in prayer, as we pray for each other and call blessings on those we have lost, and those we leave behind when we pass on.
A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (3:14-21 )
This, then, is what I pray kneeling before the Father: Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love, and built in love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowing, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Final Blessing
Song: Christ, be our light
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Refrain
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.
Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone.
Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
making your kingdom come.
Pilgrim and Pastor