Homily from funeral Mass of Irma and Joe Garcia

Homily from funeral Mass of Irma and Joe Garcia 

Remarks from Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, at funeral liturgy of Irma Linda and Jose “Joe” Garcia at Sacred Heart Church in Uvalde June 1.

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. (…) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Mt 5:4.7).

As the entire Church commemorates the awaiting of the Comforter – the Holy Spirit – we all wish and pray to be instrument through which He himself brings peace to the hearts of Liliana, Alysandra, Jose, Cristian, the entire Garcia family and the other families of the victims. Their loss and sorrow are part of our own tragedy as a community. As we are all grieving, we also want to communicate our hope in the resurrection to those who mourn and to the world. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes…” (Rev).

With the gift of faith, and through our closeness to you, we are able to share in your pain, so that through the Church you may be strengthened in your own faith, and receive the comfort that only God can give. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” (Jn). God, who is himself love, is the one who inspires love in our hearts.

Irma and Joe’s faith bore fruits of love. They witnessed to the love that comes from God. The love between them shone through and was expressed by their dedication to each other, which extended to their children and to their community. She acted out of love up until her last breath. His love for her was so strong that his heart could not contain it. They knew well that God’s plan is far beyond our understanding, so they trusted Him. Their legacy is their witness that despite all, God is in control.

Jesus has shared in our pain and our death, so that we may have a part in his Resurrection and in his eternal glory in Heaven. Through his own experience in the seeming nonsense of the Cross, He has truly conquered death to save us. That is why we know for sure that the Risen One had long ago prepared dwellings in the Father’s house for Irma, Joe and all the others who shared in this tragedy. We commend them to his mercy.

Irma and Joe lived as God’s faithful children and represented Him as proud parents. We trust that they will continue to be those proud parents, now even closer to their children and to all of us, although in a different way. We, as God’s family, will continue to look after their children. We also trust that Liliana, Alysandra, Jose and Cristian will continue to make their parents proud as God’s faithful and loving children. Honor the memory of your parents with your unwavering faith, hope and love.

We are here to proclaim our faith in the Lord who is able to give our deceased loved-ones a joy that far exceeds our pain. In fact, all the honors that we can offer them, pale in comparison to the glory we trust they already enjoy. We pay our respects to them with the dignity they are due, we pray for their eternal repose, and we also hope that they may be able to intercede for us.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for Irma, Joe and the other victims, give comfort to their families and make us peacemakers.