The anchoress writes about the death of her brother, unbelievably poignant.

He had no faith, wished for no funeral, no rites, no memorial.

I don’t blame him for not having faith. I can’t think of any example of love he ever encountered that did not – ultimately – get distorted or misrepresented or prove itself to be wholly untrustworthy, not to be counted on, not to be believed.

I loved him, but I was much younger than he, and of a completely different nature. I doubt he believed it, that I loved him. He had no tools to believe it.

How tragically sad is that?

Read more here

I wish all funeral homilies could be as touching and as moving as this tribute. I often say that people only know what they have experienced. In my own family, we have seen people who have only known disfunction, drugs and a life of disorder. Why do we expect their lives to be any different? Still, I often think that we can do more for people like this and unfortunately we can only do so much at the same time. Helping someone is often a full-time job and many of us can’t possibly do it ourselves.

Prayers today for John. If he was anything like his sister, I am sure that God is caring for him today.