This is a very sad day; our hearts and our souls ache. A family have lost a beloved and cherished daughter and sister; friends have lost a treasured friend; several communities have lost much valued member. It seems as if the world is a little darker without the laughter and the smile; without the vibrant energy and the dynamic creativity; without the overflowing love and abundant life and beauty and passion of Cora Kazmirowicz.

Cora, our hope and prayer for you is that you are in one of those many rooms in our Father’s house. We hope and pray that you are surrounded by God’s perfect love with the God of love and life and ultimate creativity. Now you have time for every adventure that you had ever dreamed of.

This is our hope, but like Thomas we still have doubts. St Thomas is called the doubter but, he was probably only expressing the doubts that most of the disciples felt but were to afraid to raise. Thomas could have been an Aussie digger, like many I know and like you would have been; a soldier expressing lack of understanding in his platoon commander’s instructions. I can almost hear Thomas saying, “Lord, we have no idea where you are going; how on Earth can we know the way.”

It is quite natural and normal for us here in our pain and our grief to have the same question of God. “God, what now?” We might also want to ask God, “why?” The questions were the same in Jesus day as they are now, and so were the doubts and so was the pain and the grief. Jesus begins his words to his disciples the night before he dies, with the words “Do not let your heart be troubled.”

A homily by major Rob Sutherland, Chaplain of Australian Army

Well Lord, today we are here and our hearts are troubled, very troubled, and our hearts are in pain. We want Cora to still be with us and we want everything else in the world that pains and troubles our hearts to be right too. It’s very hard at times like this to see God for who he is. We are tempted to start telling God what he should be doing and what he shouldn’t be doing. God Cora shouldn’t be dead; God there shouldn’t be pain and suffering in the world. God if you loved us you wouldn’t let this happen.

The disciples were just as good at thinking of all the things that Jesus should be doing as we are today but Jesus turns it all around. Jesus doesn’t ask the disciples what they want God’s house or God’s kingdom or God’s love to be like; Jesus tells them what God’s house and God’s kingdom and God’s love are like. In my Father’s house, says Jesus, there are many mansions. God’s plans for us and for our future are far grander than anything that we can imagine; God’s plan is that we shall live with him in his house as his children as heirs of his kingdom. Would any of us want to deny that from Cora?

It is the world that tries to convince us that a long life is a good life; God’s word, the word of life, constantly reminds us that God’s treasure is in heaven not on Earth. God shows us glimpses of his goodness and his glory here on Earth, but the reality and the fullness of God’s goodness are in heaven.

Life on Earth is not about length but about quality; Cora may not have lived long, but she lived a life of wonderful quality. We should rejoice that her lot is not to know the pain and sadness of old age, not to know the pain and sadness of the world any longer. The life in all it’s fullness that Jesus talks of in John 10:10 is quality not length. Cora’s short life was wonderfully full and we were blessed by it.

There is a sense of unreality as we look at this box. Cora’s earthly body is in there, but it can’t contain her life and it definitely doesn’t hold her love. Cora’s love still lives in our hearts.

St Paul when writing to the Church in Corinth tells them that nothing in this world has any value without God’s love. Paul describes God’s love – patient, kind, not jealous, does not seek its own way; it delights in the truth; there is no limit to its faith, its hope and its endurance. Love like this which comes from God, says Paul, lasts for ever; God’s love is eternal.

God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. St John teaches us that love like this is the very essence of the nature of God who is eternally the source of love. God’s fullest expression of his love for us is seen in Jesus; God’s fullest expression of his love for us is seen in the life of love and faithfulness of Jesus to his Father and his friends and in his loving death for us.

My friends whatever love Cora gave us; whatever friendship, whatever pride, whatever joy and laughter and friendship and love Cora gave us is her eternal gift to us from the love that God gave her. Her gift of love to us is ours forever; the pain we feel today will fade, but her love will last in our hearts forever. Similarly, whatever love, friendship, kindness, support, help, joy or laughter we gave her is her eternal gift – hers forever.

I hope today that we can learn from Cora’s love; I hope that we may open our hearts and while we yet have time that we too may love those around us like Cora did, for when we do we give an eternal gift.

It is in this context of God’s great love for us, of Jesus great love for the Father and for us; in the context of Jesus love shown in life and death, that he the only one who has come from heaven to Earth; it is in this context of knowledge and love that Jesus can say to his poor clueless ignorant followers, “Hey, don’t worry; I am the way and the truth and the life; you come to the Father and to our place in heaven through me, through my love.”

Cora’s life was far too short for us; we want more of her love and her wonderful aliveness; this is natural, but life with God is far better than any life in this world. Rest in peace Cora; we hope and pray that you are now living in the perfect love of the God who made you and who loves you; we thank you for all of your love in this world; we will treasure it forever.

May God have mercy on your soul.
And now faith hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Amen.