Leo Gervais
April 2, 2003
Sympathy to Bernice and Leo's family and friends…
We gather today to grieve our loss - the loss of Leo, but we also gather here today to celebrate - to celebrate Leo's life. Leo was a hard worker and for much of his life. Working the land on his farm, working for many years for Peterson-Biddick and later for Ross Seed were important parts of his life. His love for farming and the land was something stayed with him until the very end. We celebrate today Leo's love of the land.
Leo and Bernice worked hard during their life together and didn’t find a lot of time for leisure activities. Leo did, however, liked to play cards and he and Bernice enjoyed going fishing together. Bernice tells me that he did not have near the patience she had if the fish were not biting. I was also told that he sometimes out-fished you, Bernice. We celebrate the ways Leo enjoyed life. We celebrate today the loving relationships he had with Bernice and his family and friends.
Leo was also a man of faith. The relationship that he and Bernice have with St. Peter's Church was very important to him. We celebrate Leo's faith in Jesus. Each of us have our own memories of Leo. We have memories of good times and memories of difficult times. We gather today to celebrate the memories of Leo’s life with us.
Even though we are here to celebrate Leo’s life we are still sad. He will be missed, especially by Bernice.
It is not, however, just Leo's life with us that we celebrate today, we also celebrate our Christian belief there is life after death - an everlasting life that is lived even more fully with our loving God. We may find consolation in our scriptures that remind us that we are gathered here to celebrate our belief that life continues after death. I think people of faith like Leo, and people who farm and work the land have an even deeper appreciation of the image in our gospel today. Leo really understood what it meant to take wheat seeds that to most people looked as if they are dead, and plant those seeds. He knew with certainty that by the grace of God and hard work those seeds would bring forth new life. As followers of Jesus we know, with just as much certainty, that by the grace of God, from death will come new and everlasting life with God.
But this gospel is not just about life after death, it also carries a reminder for us about our life now. We are reminded that being a follower of Jesus means that we die to our needs and put the needs of others first. That is how our lives produce much fruit in this world. It is by living a life of faith built on self-sacrificing love, that we live the Christian life that we are called to as followers of Jesus. Of course Jesus on the cross is the perfect example for us of a life of self sacrificing love. And because Jesus lived a life of self sacrificing love, in faith and hope we can look forward to the day we will be reunited with Leo and all our loved ones – reunited for all eternity.