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Funeral Homily My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: With sincere sympathy but in a spirit of great faith, I express my words of condolence to the families of Father James D. Knight. First of all, I address you, his children, Georgia, Charly and Peter. I know your father loved you because he often spoke to me endearingly about you. I speak to you, his grandchildren, whom he really admired and to you, his brothers, Mike and Bill and to all other relatives. I extend to you and to your entire family my deepest sympathy. At this time I also wish to remember Dolores Elizabeth Knight, the wife of Father Jim and mother of you, Georgia, Charly and Peter. Not only was Dee a faith-filled woman but she was also the one who brought Jim to our Catholic faith and eventually to the diaconate and the priesthood. May she rest in peace! But Father Jim Knight had other families: You, the Permanent Deacons, were an important part of his life and his ministry. The priests of this Archdiocese are yet another family of his. Through the imposition of hands ordaining him a priest some five and a half years ago, he became a member of the fraternity of priests. You received him joyfully as he collaborated with you in the priestly work of our Archdiocese. Still there are other families that Father Knight rightly belonged to – the parishioners of Saint Mark’s here in Norman, the people of Saint Peter’s in Woodward and its missions there, as well as the parish of Saint Wenceslaus in Prague and Saint Michael’s in Meeker. In addition, Father Jim Knight was loyal to his name “Knight” by being a chaplain for the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. It was just two months ago that Father Knight shared with me the medical alert he received in a routine examination. Thus his quick and untimely death gives us all much to consider. The reality of life on this earth is very tenuous. For some people it is short while others live to an advanced age. For some, it seems easy, others find it difficult. Some enjoy good health while others are plagued with severe infirmities. This disparity of conditions points us to a more fundamental reality of human life . We have been created by God as pilgrims. We are on the move throughout our stay on this earth, constantly changing, but hopefully moving in the right direction. This is the reason Jesus came to our world and proclaimed that He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. In a world of confusion, conflict and uncertainty, Jesus brings us hope. I’m referring here to the theological virtue of hope as contrasted with wishful thinking or simple desires. Hope is the theological virtue by which we see and want the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. Through genuine hope, we place our trust in Christ’s promises and we rely not only on our own strength but on the grace of the Holy Spirit. The virtue of hope responds to our natural desire for happiness which God has placed in the heart of every human being. Through hope, we begin to appreciate the fact that we are pilgrims on this earth and we are never fully satisfied here until, through death, we come to our final destination in the kingdom of heaven. Today as we celebrate this Eucharist for the repose of the soul of Father Jim Knight, the three readings from the Sacred Scriptures have clearly reminded us of the essential need for the presence of hope in our daily lives: The Old Testament told us not to be downcast but to hope in the Lord. It said: “Good is the Lord to one who waits for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good to hope for the saving help of the Lord.” The New Testament reminds us “We are God’s children now. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is and so we hope and trust in Him now.” The Gospel showed us the transition from hope and trust to fulfillment in God. One of the criminals hanging on the cross next to Jesus says to Him in hope: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” and Jesus replied: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” This is our prayer for Reverend James D. Knight today. We pray in faith and with trust that last Friday evening as Father Knight was leaving this world, he heard Jesus say: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Eternal rest grant until him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen. Most Reverend
Eusebius J. Beltran |