Suffer the Little Children

Mackenzie Coyne Funeral Homily

Suffer the Little Children to Come to Me

It’s too soon. Way too soon. Mark and Michelle, no parent should have to bury their little girl. No parent should have to suffer so great a loss. No brother and sister should lose someone so close to them. And a child’s friends and classmates should not have to confront death so soon. All of us are stunned, all of us don’t really know what to say or do. We’re hurt and confused and we’re looking for answers. No words we will say today will ever be enough. Maybe someday, but not today.

The gospel reading you chose for your daughter’s funeral today is not a typical funeral reading. Usually it is read at a child’s baptism. However, it is very appropriate for a funeral, because it talks about the promise of eternal life.

People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them. Have you been watching how Pope Francis moves through a crowd? He will stop his motorcade and get out of the pope mobile in order to greet someone or touch a sick or handicapped person. Just the other day some people lifted a child in a wheelchair up over the heads of the people in front of them just so the pope could touch him. I imagine it was like this with Jesus. People were drawn to him and they would bring the sick and the hurting to him so he could heal them. And they would bring the things most precious to them, their children, so they could experience his touch. They just wanted him to touch them. They just wanted to be near him. I think that’s also why we’re here today, together. We want to experience the touch of God and know that everything’s going to be alright.

Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.

One translation of this passage has Jesus saying, “suffer the little children to come to me”. Suffer, or allow, or let them. Interesting word, suffer. We are suffering today because Jesus called Mackenzie to him. And it is painful sometimes when we let someone go. We don’t let our children do whatever they want, do we? We gradually let them have more and more freedom and responsibility as they grow older and mature. And each time we do we allow them to go a little further from us, bit by bit, and it can be saddening or even painful for us to do so. It can be painful to let people go.

There was the first time you let Kenzie go over to a friend’s house to play. There was the first sleepover. The first day of school. That first time she blew past you on the ski slope and you were hoping she would wait for you at the bottom. We know these are natural events in every family’s life, and it is good that we allow our children to move ever away from us. All these experiences we have with our children throughout their lives are wonderful, and we know we are preparing them for the world. But we are ultimately preparing them for death, aren’t we? We are preparing them for heaven. We are preparing them to meet Jesus face to face.

Mark, you said the other night that you hoped Kenzie was proud of you. I think that is the wish of every parent. That we raise our children well so they will pass that on to future generations. You and Michelle raised Kenzie well. You put her on the path to heaven, and that is praiseworthy. You gave her your example. You taught her to pray and made her a part of the faith community. She received baptism and just made her first reconciliation. She was so excited about receiving her first holy communion this spring. She is wearing her first communion dress right now.

The Eucharist is how we see and become one with Christ here on earth, in anticipation of seeing him and being one with him in heaven. Mackenzie has received her first communion. She is in communion with her savior each and every moment now and for all time. You prepared her for that and for that you should be proud.

That’s what it is all about. Not success or money or power or fame. All that is fleeting and shallow. Children don’t have any of that yet. But they do have the hope of eternal life. Eternal life with God is the real goal. Mackenzie’s life had meaning and purpose, and she touched many, many people. Look around you. Children like Kenzie remind us of how we are all supposed to live.

Jesus says today, “Whoever does not accept the reign of God like a little child shall not take part in it.” Usually when we hear this we think of what a little child is like. Innocent, pure, trusting, unburdened by the worries of the world. And that’s part of it, I guess. But as we get older it becomes more and more difficult to be innocent, pure, trusting and unburdened. What else could Jesus be referring to? What else does a little child have that we often lose as adults?

Just look at Kenzie. At eight years old she had wonderful dreams and plans for the future. She was going to Harvard and then become a veterinarian. I don’t know if Harvard has a vet program, but she’d figure it out, I’m sure. She loved to dance and had a very creative mind. She had an exuberance about her that was contagious. She had no fear and few worries. She had her whole life ahead of her and she had something we often lose sight of – hope.

That’s what I think Jesus was also saying to us. Have dreams. Use the gifts I have given you. Live life to the fullest. Dance like no one’s watching. And ultimately have trust in me and hope for the future with me.

We have to let Mackenzie come to Jesus. Suffer her to come to the Lord. And know that Jesus calls all of us to him every day until that day when we will all have to let go and go to Him. Because you don’t have to be a little child to live like one.