I loved how positive was the family eulogy for Bernadette. It portrays in her a strength of soul and character as well as a real generosity of spirit and of heart. All of this was clearly rooted in the strong family from which she came as well as in the strong family which she built. Strong roots always lead to a flourishing life of so many human and Christian virtues. Although relatively young in years when God took her to Himself, Bernadette certainly lived a full life. Quality of life is greater than quantity; love of life greater than length. Fullness of days is not measured by the clock but by the heart and, to state the obvious, Bernadette’s heart was wide and spacious. Deep in that heart, she held a generous love for so many, especially for her nearest and dearest. She held in it above all a quiet and steady trust in the Lord who created and redeemed her, and in the faith which grounded her values and perspectives. There is no doubt that this accompanied her during the more difficult times in her life, especially as her health deteriorated and she heard the strengthening voice of Christ within, calling her home to Himself. With her sense of humour and ready laughter, I am sure she will soon add her unique laughter to the joy of the saints before the face of God and sing out with them all, “my God, how great Thou art!”

We often say in life that “things are not always what they seem.” Appearances can deceive. And when we catch on to that, what we want is to get to the truth behind those appearances. In that reading from the Book of Wisdom which we heard a few moments ago, the Word of God is basically telling us that death is not what it seems. Speaking of the souls of those who have tried to live a good life, we are told that “in the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an evil thing, and their going from us [was thought] to be their destruction.” But then it goes on, “but they are at peace, their hope is full of immortality, they will understand the truth, abide with Him in love for grace and mercy are upon his holy ones.”

The reading is not saying that their suffering and death were not real. Indeed, it says they were a form of discipline, of being tested in fire. What it is saying is that we are fools if we think that it all ends there. It may seem to end there in our eyes and in our experience of this life, but it doesn’t. For those pleasing to God, there is a beyond suffering and a beyond death. And that’s because there is a beyond life, described in many beautiful ways in the reading such as “being in the hand of God, being at peace, having a hope full of immortality, receiving great good, abiding with God in love, protected by His grace and mercy and guarded as His chosen.” Let’s be mindful, this is the word of God concerning those who have died in His grace, and His Word is sure, true. It is guaranteed; it cannot deceive. It is quite simply the Truth.

Not to accept this Word is, to use the word of the reading, a “foolish” reaction. In other words, it is folly to limit our vision and understanding of ourselves and of this life only to the appearances we perceive on this side of death. Wisdom in life is to have a vision and understanding which see beyond, which trust in the Word of God, which believe in the love of God. The good things of this world are made by God to help us on our way to Him. But if we make them an end in themselves, they can deceive us into thinking that we don’t need any God. As well as that, the sufferings and trials of this world can also deceive us into thinking that there can be no God of love if such things are happening. But the problem here is not God. It is first the deceit. In fact, it is the Deceiver, the great Liar and enemy of both God and humanity who seeks to seduce our hearts away from trusting and loving the living God. But second, we ourselves are the problem. For if we allow our hearts and minds to be deceived by the evil one, we will have no eyes or heart for the love of God demonstrated to us beyond all doubt in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. His Cross is the Truth which unmasks the deceit and appearances, and which calls out the folly of this world. In her heart of hearts, Bernadette, in her own quiet way, trusted in that Cross throughout her life and, I am sure, most especially in her hour of death, and she will have felt the strength of Christ’s love as she passed over into eternity. Our doubt and rejection of the love of Christ may seem to free us to live the life we want, but how can a true and happy life be built on the shaky foundations of doubt and rejection in relation to the most important question we must all face, the question of God? It can’t. Instead, we will suffocate and drown in our own doubts and be snookered by the closedness of our hearts in the face of Christ’s love, a fate from which He died to save us.

His will for each one of us is nothing less than the fullness of eternal life and everlasting liberation from the deceit of sin and of a life lived without God. He goes so far as to give His life to us even before death through His sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. He has put Himself in our hands and in our mouths. That’s how much He desires to unite Himself to us and free us from sin and death. He only asks that we trust Him and believe in Him and so turn our hearts and lives towards Him. It doesn’t require big, long prayers on our part. All we need do is say, “Lord, I trust and believe in You. Help me to come to You, to open up to You.” If we can do that, He will respond gently but powerfully.

Bernadette loved the Lord and for that reason she was able to love her family and to love life all the more. She understood that Christ was not the enemy of her happiness but its guarantee and its fulfilment. We pray that, at last, after the joys and sorrows of this life, she will soon enjoy that fulfilment in the presence of the Risen Jesus and of all those who are with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. And we pray that we ourselves will come to that sacred and blessed place because we have lived and loved in the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord.