The family and friends of Ken Corpstein
are gathered together today to celebrate his mass of the resurrection, his mass
of Christian burial. We remember him today, we remember his life of faith, and
we commemorate his entry into eternal life with God. The Word of God speaks to us today about
Kenneth, as his family selected these reading to reflect him and his life of
faith.
The Book of Wisdom tell us in our first
reading that the souls of the just are in the hands of God where no torment
shall touch them – what a comforting image this is in this time of grieving Many in the world think that all life ends
when our earthly life ends. But through
our faith, we have our belief in eternal life. We put our trust in the Lord. With
the suffering Kenneth endured while in the nursing home, he was able unite
these sufferings with the sufferings J endured in his passion and journey to
the cross. Thru that connection, Kenneth found significance and meaning in what
he went through.
I did not know Kenneth personally, but in
talking to his family and friend and fellow parishioners here at St Francis of
Assisi parish in New Albany, I heard stories about the example he gave in the
way he lived out his faith. His wife
Karen and his children recounted how devotedly he lived out his faith as a
dedicated and loving husband, father and grandfather. From his days as a freshman at the Jesuit run
Creighton University in Omaha, Kenneth learned to have a great devotion to the
Eucharist. Pretty much his whole life,
Ken served on various parish and finance councils at the parishes he
attended. He was very active at the Good
Samaritan center here in New Albany, and spent many years helping with Habitat
for Humanity and caring for the church grounds here in New Albany. He was a member for more than 50 years in the
Knights of Columbus, for which he was recently recognized by Bishop
Kopacz. As I thought about Kenneth while
driving over to our parish of St Francis in New Albany this morning from my
parish in Tupelo, I thought about a famous saying from St Francis of Assisi:
Preach the Gospel always and only when necessary use words. Ken seemed to reflect the heart of this
saying in the way he lived out his life.
He helped and served in so many ways, but it was often under the radar;
he did not do it for any type of recognition or praise. Ken
showed thru actions that Christ was his Lord and savior, that Christ was the
center of his life, that he believed in the resurrection and the eternal life
to come.
It is now the middle of October. In just a few weeks, we will celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day in our Church. Kenneth is a part of that community of saints that we celebrate each time we gather for mass. He will remain a real presence in the life of his family and friends. As we pray for the souls in heaven, they in turn accompany us with their prayers. In one of the prayers we had in our wake service last night, it stated that the ties and bonds of love and affection that unite us here on earth, do not end or unravel with our earthly death. Kenneth’s spirit will live in eternal life – and his presence with all of you will continue to be real as well.
It is now the middle of October. In just a few weeks, we will celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day in our Church. Kenneth is a part of that community of saints that we celebrate each time we gather for mass. He will remain a real presence in the life of his family and friends. As we pray for the souls in heaven, they in turn accompany us with their prayers. In one of the prayers we had in our wake service last night, it stated that the ties and bonds of love and affection that unite us here on earth, do not end or unravel with our earthly death. Kenneth’s spirit will live in eternal life – and his presence with all of you will continue to be real as well.
Nice homily.
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