This has been a summer of funerals. Today was our fourth in just a few short months. What was particularly memorable at today's funeral was one son's wonderful "memorial" to his father near the end of Mass. It wasn't the typical eulogy about all the great things Dad accomplished. He gave a very brief testimonial of how his Dad's faith and fidelity brought him back to the Church. He called himself a "prodigal son" but testified to his dad's never wavering in the faith. I couldn't help noticing at Communion that only about half the family went up to receive. Later I was talking to someone who said the mom told him her husband offered all his suffering that his children would return to the faith. I felt like that son's testimonial was a spark that might reignite the flame of faith in some of his relatives.
