Funeral HOMILY for Justin Shank: December 14, 2017

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Funeral Mass for Justin Shank

Our Lady of Grace

December 14, 2017

Shifting Sands or Solid Bedrock?

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato

Warts and All!

One thing we share is a deep desire to be loved as we are, warts and all. This is the love and affirmation we get from Jesus!

And if I were to compare my “list of warts” with yours, we’d be surprised to find how common our struggles and failings really are.

This common ground, and the unconditional love Jesus has for each of us, is the bedrock for our being able to hope and this unconditional love of Jesus for us is the foundation for our trust in God.

Yet, even with this solid bedrock, many of our days are spent in upset over our faults and failures, things we did wrong or things we failed to do. At such times, it’s as if the ground we’re standing on is as unstable as sand.

So, while the love of Jesus for us is solid bedrock, on the surface we may nevertheless feel things as constantly shifting and unstable.

The good news is that no matter how insecure I feel in the moment, no matter what my turmoil, the bedrock that is Jesus’ love for me is also there, deep down beneath me.

And it is in Jesus, our bedrock, that we place of trust and our hope to get through the surface turmoil.

As someone who knew Justin since he was 16, that he knew first-hand both the shifting sand beneath his feet AND the deeper bedrock that was solid and secure.

Sacred Scripture on Shifting Sands and Bedrock

The Book of Wisdom affirms both this sense of shifting sand and the solid sub-strata of faith in God.

We heard: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God (gesture “bedrock”), and no torment (gesture “turmoil”) shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction, but they are in peace (gesture “bedrock”).

Chastised a little (gesture turmoil), they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.”

The second reading speaks to our turmoil and our bad decisions: “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother?”

In the Gospel beatitudes, Jesus addresses our longing to live grounded in him (gesture “bedrock”) and how that hunger and thirst will one day be satisfied. And to that he adds that those who show mercy, will be shown mercy and peacemakers will be called children of God.

Justin’s Bedrock

In Justin, who was so easy to love, you could see beneath the turmoil; you could see his oneness with God.

Nature was one of Justin’s links to the bedrock. He savored sunsets and full moons, a daffodil blooming or a snow-covered landscape, and he never tired of sending I-phone photos to share them. There were photos of deer, foxes, rabbits, groundhogs and hummingbirds. 

His vegetable garden was his pride and joy, producing a bounty of tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and basil.

His photos and veggies he loved to share with family and co-workers.

His communion with others was a second link to the bedrock. How he loved just sitting on the porch with Barbara and sharing his joys and sadness, his dreams and his struggles. He was also always available to listen, if you wanted to talk, offering a safe and secure place to express yourself.

He was a great fan of professional football and he and Andy would have lots of feelings expressed as Justin cheered on the Ravens and Andy, countered with his admiration of the Steelers.

A final link to the bedrock was Justin’s great sense of serving others. He cherished being Katrina’s big brother and would drive out in the middle of the night, if she was stranded and needed a way home.

He loved to help Andy and Barbara with the annual raking of leaves, prepping the flower beds with mulch, and handling all the tasks Andy hated to do like cleaning the China in the China closets, decorating the Christmas tree, painting, and washing/waxing Barbara’s car.

(1) His love and affection, (2) his eagerness to please others, (3) his willingness to always help when needed, wrapped up in his great smile touched the lives of us all.

Conclusion

Shifting sand or solid rock — we have stood on both and so too did Justin.

With hope and trust in Jesus’ unconditional love of us, and with (1) nature, (2) communion with others, and (3) service, Justin’s trust and love of God have brought him home to the Lord.

So, yes, there is cause for celebration, on the part of us who loved him.