“HOLY INTERUPTIONS AND HOPE”
“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths.5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
– Psalm 25:1-5
Death is never convenient. It demands our attention. We all will get our day. Last week I attended a funeral service with my wife. Her secretary’s mother-in-law had died during Holy Week and when we heard this news… we adjusted our schedules in order to attend the service. We drove downtown to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Navigation St. My wife’s secretary’s husband was baptized there, and the family had been part of this church for over 3 generations.
It was founded in 1836… and in the early 1900’s there was a large influx of Mexican citizens to Houston due to unrest in the country and the congregation has held mass in Spanish from as early at 1911… details I didn’t know when I walked in the door… but learned with a quick google search after… and as I sat there… taking in the beautiful church architecture… watching and listening as people greeted one another… and being a quiet guest… I began to think… “this whole service is going to be spoken and sung in Spanish.” And it was. And it was awesome… not because I have any chops when it comes to speaking Spanish… but because I knew what was going to happen… how funeral services go… and because faith matters… this is what took place…
The priest was a big guy. He could play O line for the Houston Texans… but his spirit and demeanor were loving and gentle. He spoke with confidence and joy. I didn’t understand a word he said… but I watched and I listened… and heard words like… “Sancta”… holy… “Dios”… God… “Hermanos”… Jesus as LORD and “Spiritus” as in Holy Spirit … and ‘cardia’… the love in the woman’s heart who had left to be with her Lord… and I recognized the gait of the Lord’s Prayer along with greeting…“The Lord be with you” … and the response… ‘and also with you..’ and “Amen” was the easiest knowing what to do when it came time to share the ‘peace of Christ…’
And the music? Well… there was a guy playing piano who got his pipes only from God… with a young woman who sang harmony… both accompanied by a young man playing violin. Again, I didn’t understand a word … but the moment was sacred and proud… the man singing like it was his last day on earth… a time very moving for me… and in the end the priest came and stood by the casket… and in Spanish he commended this woman’s eternal life to the Lord… and I think I figured out the part where he said… “a sheep of your own flock and a sinner of your own redeeming”… as he made the sign of the cross over the casket reminding all present of the hope only Christ offers.
As I said… I didn’t understand the words… mostly… but I did understand the action… and I’m glad to have accompanied my wife to pay respect to a family we hold in such high regard… as even though language can be a barrier in relationships… love and hope always prevail. Yes… death is an interruption, but it is a holy moment for all who hope in the Lord… a thing to be cherished as we give thanks to God for those who have loved us so deeply for so long… trusting what they leave behind will linger in us until for the rest of our days as well!
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
