On Sunday, August 15, my beloved godmother and great-aunt went home to the Lord.  She was a truly amazing woman, and I wanted to share with you my homily from her funeral Mass. I hope this glimpse into her life inspires you to live closer to the Lord.

Thirty-one years ago, Rose Turano was given six months to live.  But for us who knew and loved her, we know that the doctor’s prognosis meant very little to her.  It didn’t matter what the doctors said.  Her faith in God was strong; her purpose was clear (she had a family to love); and her resolve was unshakable.

We know the outcome: by putting her faith in God, and by living a life of loving service, she won the battle.  I think it’s safe to say that today we are not mourning the death of a woman who lost the battle to cancer; rather, we’re here to remember and pray for a great woman who rose above a terminal illness to live an extraordinary life.

I want to put this funeral Mass in its proper context before I speak more about my Aunt Rose’s life.  First and foremost, what we focus on today is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ninety-two years ago when Rose was baptized, she received God’s divine life in her soul and became a child of God.  Today, our firm hope is that she is now sharing fully in the Lord’s life and is with Him for eternity.

Aunt Rose loved God, and she believed that Christ died and rose to bring us the fullness of life.  When Christ rose from the dead, He conquered death so that all who are united to Him in baptism and believe in Him have the hope of sharing eternal life with Him.  This leads to the first point about Rose’s life that I want to focus on: Read more »