Journal entry by Suzanne Teson —
FUNERAL HOMILY FOR LIEUTENANT MICHAEL WELLS
SAINT THERESE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Wisdom 4:7-15, 2 Timothy 6:6-8. 17-18 Matthew 5:1-12a
SERVICE AND COURAGE
We’re here today because of a young man who lived his life in service, who was willing to suffer and who faced that suffering with great courage. And that young man’s name was Jesus. Jesus said, I have come not to be served but to serve. Jesus spoke of a baptism he was to receive and how he longed for it to come about. That baptism that Jesus was to receive was his death and resurrection, what we call the Paschal Mystery, the movement from life through death into new life that Jesus pioneered and in which we all follow. That baptism of Jesus, that dying and rising, that Paschal Mystery is the source of our hope. And in baptism we share in that dying and rising of Jesus. We become Chris-tians, which is to say that we each become a little Christ. And that means that each of us, each in our own way, are called by our own lives, to reflect the life and love of Jesus, in our own way.
All this leads us to another young man, who lived his life in service, who was willing to suffer and who faced that suffering with great courage and that young man’s name was Michael. And we’re also here today because of him.
On the day of his baptism, Rod and Lori, you brought your infant son to church. You had already shared with him the gift of life. You now wanted to share with him the gift of new life in Christ. On that day Michael shared in the dying and rising, in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. St. Paul reminds us that when we’re baptized into Christ Jesus, we are baptized into his death so that we might share in his resurrection. And before his death, I was privileged to lead Michael in a renewal of his baptismal promises.
We all know Michael was willing to suffer anything to beat cancer and hence the term, Choose the wrench. And he did this without complaining and with great courage. You could say that Michael in life and in his dying, reflected the service, willingness to suffer and the courage of Jesus. And that leads us to a question. What about our courage? Even in this moment, do we have the courage, do we have the courage to hope?
In the midst of grief, in the midst of sorrow, in the midst of thinking, I just don’t understand why something like this had to happen; and let’s be honest, perhaps maybe even in the midst of anger about all this, Do you have the courage to hope?
Do you have the courage to believe that this isn’t all that there is? Or to realize as Emily Dickinson would say, This world is not conclusion. Do you have the courage to look at the death of Michael in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
When we look at all this in that light. It doesn’t answer our questions. It doesn’t bring him back, but it can console some of the sorrow we feel. It does shed some light upon this mystery and it gives us the courage to hope.
Today we give thanks for Michael’s life, and all life remains a gift of God. Whether for one hour or one hundred years, born or unborn, healthy or sick, long or short, every life is of great value and purpose. We give thanks for the life and love that he and Katie shared and that lives on in Olivia, Johnny and Caroline. St. John Paul II described a father as a man who has been conquered by love. And looking at Michael with his children you could see that.
A philosopher no less eminent than George Burns once remarked, If you can fall in love with what you do for a living, you got it made. We know that for Michael, being a firefighter wasn’t just his job. It was his passion, his vocation. He saw himself doing God’s work in what he did. In his work he often came into contact with and served the suffering Christ, the distressed Christ and even the dying Christ.
We give thanks for Michael’s life, his family and his work, but in addition to giving thanks we also pray. We pray for his eternal rest and happiness. Our prayers continue to accompany him and we now offer the greatest prayer we have, the Eucharist. The Eucharist that Michael received in this life, was in the early Church called the medicine of immortality. Our prayer is that it’s saving effect comes to completion in Michael and one day in all of us.
The gospel reading of the Beatitudes is one we hear so often, that it can lose some of its impact. What Jesus shares isn’t a collection of pious platitudes but a radical vision, a counter-cultural vision. It’s a vision that calls for justice and mercy; it calls us to purity of heart. It’s a vision that describes those who make peace as children of God. It calls us to live generous lives. Pleasure may be found in selfishness but happiness and even joy are found in generosity. Generous people are happy people and we see that not just in the life of Michael but in the lives of many.
Now Michael died on September 14. In the Church calendar, that day is known as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Jesus said, When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. The cross reminds us that in the person of Jesus, God has entered into this world and suffered for us and also has suffered with us. The cross which is another way of saying the Paschal Mystery, reminds us that love is stronger than hate and that life is stronger than death. May Michael’s death remind us of the same.
September 14 is also the birthday of Michael’s mother, Lori. And Lori, my prayer is that every year now as you celebrate your birthday into this life, that you will also see it as Michael’s birthday into new life and that now you and Michael share a birthday.
Just over twelve years ago, when Michael and Katie got married in this church, Father Mike Roach described them as two people of service. In the Wells family, Michael was the firefighter and Katie is the teacher but in the last few months of his life, Michael became a teacher to all of us, particularly with his courage. He who served others now had to accept the humility to be served by others. He took that hard road like a strong, wounded lion, who would not give up until with St. Paul he could say, The time of my departure is at hand. And he faced it with courage and a characteristic smile.
In the last year Michael made his own way of the cross toward his own Calvary, sharing in the passion of Christ but through the lens of the Paschal Mystery, we know that there’s new life on the other side of Calvary. Perhaps one of the greatest tributes we can give to Michael is to live our lives in service to others, to embrace suffering when necessary and to do so with courage and maybe even a smile. Not courage that comes from just us, but the courage that flows from God’s grace and the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ that is the source of our hope.
May the service and courage of Jesus Christ that Michael reflected, inspire us all to live lives of service and courage. Lives where in the midst of sorrow, even in sorrow such as this, we still have the courage to hope.
Father Joe Cisetti
SAINT THERESE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Wisdom 4:7-15, 2 Timothy 6:6-8. 17-18 Matthew 5:1-12a
SERVICE AND COURAGE
We’re here today because of a young man who lived his life in service, who was willing to suffer and who faced that suffering with great courage. And that young man’s name was Jesus. Jesus said, I have come not to be served but to serve. Jesus spoke of a baptism he was to receive and how he longed for it to come about. That baptism that Jesus was to receive was his death and resurrection, what we call the Paschal Mystery, the movement from life through death into new life that Jesus pioneered and in which we all follow. That baptism of Jesus, that dying and rising, that Paschal Mystery is the source of our hope. And in baptism we share in that dying and rising of Jesus. We become Chris-tians, which is to say that we each become a little Christ. And that means that each of us, each in our own way, are called by our own lives, to reflect the life and love of Jesus, in our own way.
All this leads us to another young man, who lived his life in service, who was willing to suffer and who faced that suffering with great courage and that young man’s name was Michael. And we’re also here today because of him.
On the day of his baptism, Rod and Lori, you brought your infant son to church. You had already shared with him the gift of life. You now wanted to share with him the gift of new life in Christ. On that day Michael shared in the dying and rising, in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. St. Paul reminds us that when we’re baptized into Christ Jesus, we are baptized into his death so that we might share in his resurrection. And before his death, I was privileged to lead Michael in a renewal of his baptismal promises.
We all know Michael was willing to suffer anything to beat cancer and hence the term, Choose the wrench. And he did this without complaining and with great courage. You could say that Michael in life and in his dying, reflected the service, willingness to suffer and the courage of Jesus. And that leads us to a question. What about our courage? Even in this moment, do we have the courage, do we have the courage to hope?
In the midst of grief, in the midst of sorrow, in the midst of thinking, I just don’t understand why something like this had to happen; and let’s be honest, perhaps maybe even in the midst of anger about all this, Do you have the courage to hope?
Do you have the courage to believe that this isn’t all that there is? Or to realize as Emily Dickinson would say, This world is not conclusion. Do you have the courage to look at the death of Michael in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
When we look at all this in that light. It doesn’t answer our questions. It doesn’t bring him back, but it can console some of the sorrow we feel. It does shed some light upon this mystery and it gives us the courage to hope.
Today we give thanks for Michael’s life, and all life remains a gift of God. Whether for one hour or one hundred years, born or unborn, healthy or sick, long or short, every life is of great value and purpose. We give thanks for the life and love that he and Katie shared and that lives on in Olivia, Johnny and Caroline. St. John Paul II described a father as a man who has been conquered by love. And looking at Michael with his children you could see that.
A philosopher no less eminent than George Burns once remarked, If you can fall in love with what you do for a living, you got it made. We know that for Michael, being a firefighter wasn’t just his job. It was his passion, his vocation. He saw himself doing God’s work in what he did. In his work he often came into contact with and served the suffering Christ, the distressed Christ and even the dying Christ.
We give thanks for Michael’s life, his family and his work, but in addition to giving thanks we also pray. We pray for his eternal rest and happiness. Our prayers continue to accompany him and we now offer the greatest prayer we have, the Eucharist. The Eucharist that Michael received in this life, was in the early Church called the medicine of immortality. Our prayer is that it’s saving effect comes to completion in Michael and one day in all of us.
The gospel reading of the Beatitudes is one we hear so often, that it can lose some of its impact. What Jesus shares isn’t a collection of pious platitudes but a radical vision, a counter-cultural vision. It’s a vision that calls for justice and mercy; it calls us to purity of heart. It’s a vision that describes those who make peace as children of God. It calls us to live generous lives. Pleasure may be found in selfishness but happiness and even joy are found in generosity. Generous people are happy people and we see that not just in the life of Michael but in the lives of many.
Now Michael died on September 14. In the Church calendar, that day is known as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Jesus said, When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. The cross reminds us that in the person of Jesus, God has entered into this world and suffered for us and also has suffered with us. The cross which is another way of saying the Paschal Mystery, reminds us that love is stronger than hate and that life is stronger than death. May Michael’s death remind us of the same.
September 14 is also the birthday of Michael’s mother, Lori. And Lori, my prayer is that every year now as you celebrate your birthday into this life, that you will also see it as Michael’s birthday into new life and that now you and Michael share a birthday.
Just over twelve years ago, when Michael and Katie got married in this church, Father Mike Roach described them as two people of service. In the Wells family, Michael was the firefighter and Katie is the teacher but in the last few months of his life, Michael became a teacher to all of us, particularly with his courage. He who served others now had to accept the humility to be served by others. He took that hard road like a strong, wounded lion, who would not give up until with St. Paul he could say, The time of my departure is at hand. And he faced it with courage and a characteristic smile.
In the last year Michael made his own way of the cross toward his own Calvary, sharing in the passion of Christ but through the lens of the Paschal Mystery, we know that there’s new life on the other side of Calvary. Perhaps one of the greatest tributes we can give to Michael is to live our lives in service to others, to embrace suffering when necessary and to do so with courage and maybe even a smile. Not courage that comes from just us, but the courage that flows from God’s grace and the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ that is the source of our hope.
May the service and courage of Jesus Christ that Michael reflected, inspire us all to live lives of service and courage. Lives where in the midst of sorrow, even in sorrow such as this, we still have the courage to hope.
Father Joe Cisetti
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