Bishop LaValley's Funeral Homily for Leward Lucia

 This morning I attended the funeral of Bishop Doug Lucia's father, Leward, at Holy Angels Church in Altona, NY.  Bishop Terry LaValley was the homilist.  Here is the text:

Years ago, I remember walking through Holy Angel Cemetery, and then Father Doug showed me a new headstone for his parents. The theme we wanted to capture was Leward’s love of nature and the beauty of God's creation, etched into the stone. As a gardener, a lifelong hunter, and someone who loved the outdoors, Leeward embraced the beauty and wonder of God's creation. He knew well that familiar image that Jesus shared with his disciples: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit."

Leward held on tenaciously to all that life would offer him, never mind the number of years he had lived. We know Leeward lived a life of great sacrifice for the sake of his family and neighbors. He was determined not to let his illness or infirmity prevent him from doing those things he loved—tending to his home, gardening, shoveling snow, and even working on the roof of his house. He was an avid hunter. Even as the years went by, when the deer might have thought, "Don't worry, we won’t see him again," Leeward would still be found back in the woods.

He endured much physical pain and suffering, but it would not deter him from hunting. Sometimes, even if his kids stopped by, he would still be out there. He was a faith-filled parishioner, serving on the parish pastoral council and participating in various parish events. I’m sure most of you remember that a few years ago, the Holy Father honored Leeward with the equivalent of a cross, giving evidence to the fact that his faith, like his love for the angels, has benefited his community greatly.

You see, in today's world, our faith will not survive, much less thrive, if we live it in a minimal or uniform fashion—just doing the bare minimum expected of a Catholic Christian. Our culture is the same. Leeward directly received his highest merit when he was awarded this honor by the Holy Father because of the tenacity of his faith. That's why, although we are certainly saddened at this time, we are not without hope.

Leward was a faithful man who lived his faith fully. I’m sure some of you have perhaps heard this reflection before, but I think it’s very powerful when it comes to headstones. There are all sorts of markings on headstones, but one of the most significant is the dash between the day of birth and the day of death. That dash reflects the life lived, and certainly in this case, the life of community service, service in the church, involvement with both the Bible and the Eucharist, service to his country in the military, and later as a correctional officer.

That dash speaks volumes about how Leeward lived his life so faithfully, setting an example for his family, his community, and his church. I know I mentioned it at Betty's funeral, but I know there was some concern that, in addition to the other 14 honorees, I did not bestow this honor upon them at the cathedral. I wanted it to be here, here in Holy Angels, where the folks at home could witness the honor being bestowed. It raised eyebrows. Some murmured that there was something in his family background that was suspect, something I hadn’t looked into. But many thought that I didn’t need to.

My sisters and brothers, this is a time of promise—eternal salvation, everlasting happiness, an immortal inheritance, endless glory, the joyful vision of the face of God, a holy dwelling in heaven, the resurrection from the dead, no further fear of dying—the goal of all our strivings. Christ suffered, died, and rose from the dead so that all who would be faithful might enjoy the fruits of their earthly labor. And Leeward labored much, as he did to support his family, raising them as faithful followers of Jesus.

Life is a journey from the appointed time of birth to death. For those without faith, it's a journey that leads nowhere. It’s like a terminal that has no connections to anywhere else. Life has no ultimate meaning. But for those of us who are faithful, life is a journey that leads to eternal life in the other world. Our presence here this morning is our offering of help on this new journey to God. We are offering for Leward’s soul the most precious and pleasing gift we can present to God: His Son, the body and blood of the Lord in the sacrifice of the Mass. Along with our daily prayers and sacrifices, we speak to him on his journey from death to eternal life with God in heaven.

Although our hearts are broken because of Leward's death, we understand that his death was a time when this life ended and another began. Recalling that Leeward served in the U.S. military, I'm reminded of the words that you’ve heard before, I’m sure, that were found in the wallet of a colonel in the Israeli army when he was killed in action back in 1948. It reads:

"I am standing on the seashore. Suddenly, a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts out into the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. And I stand and I watch. I watch her until at length she is only a ribbon of white cloud just above where the sky and the sea mingle. Then someone at my side says, 'There, she’s gone.' Gone where? Gone from my sight—that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my sight and just as able to bear her load to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, 'There, she’s gone,' there are other voices on the far shore ready to take up the glad shout, 'There, she comes!'"

And that is God—the resurrected Christ on the shores of eternity. We are confident that your dad, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend joins Dad and all our deceased loved ones, the whole community of saints, at the shores of eternity, greeting them with the right of passage as the task set before him to serve has been accomplished. Well done. Well done, Leeward. Good and faithful servant.

On behalf of my family, your parish family, and the Diocese of Syracuse and Ogdensburg, I want to extend my deep sympathy to you, Bishop Doug, Dave, Gloria, Anne, Barry, Paul, Kristen, Leward’s grandchildren, sisters, and all the family members and friends. A special word of gratitude to the men who traveled here from the Diocese of Syracuse to lend their spiritual support to their bishop and Leward’s family at this time of sadness. May your faith bring hope and consolation at this time of sorrow and grief. Let us rejoice and be glad in the salvation that has been given to us.