Part of being a priest means doing funerals. Even though I don't always know the person very well, I genuinely like celbrating funerals. There is something about helping a family get some hope in the midst of a terrible situation like death that appeals to me. Today, I had a funeral in St. Francis Parish in Balltown, Iowa, one of the five rural parishes north of Dubuque. It was about a million degrees below zero with a trillion degrees below zero wind chill. But, the family hung together so tightly and supported one another so well that it really was a celebration of a life with the hope that we are celebrating eternal life. It was odd, however, to celebrate this so close to Christmas. I told the family that we are like St. Joseph at the first Christmas, not entirely sure about when Christ will come (again) but certain that we are looking forward to it because we will, hopefully, see their loved one again.
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