Thu, 26 Oct 2023

Cecil Peacock homily

“No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” One of these was Cecil Pocock.

Remember our school motto? “Concordia res parvae crescunt (literally "together the small will grow").

After the Dutch gained independence, 1814, the new Dutch Republic took over the phrase as its motto, referring to the new state's initially small territory.

The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier that in 1897 launched Clapham College, were founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium, in 1839 – nine years after Belgium gained its independence from Holland. That motto was fresh in many minds. It seems to me it can be applied to Cecil Pocock.

Thanks to the Paschal Mystery, I am convinced that our lives have three stages.

1st in our mother’s womb where we could not breathe nor have any idea about life outside yet, over nine months were able to grow those initial two cells into twenty-six billion cells – with all its many organs.

2nd here we are, capable of life and breathing – thanks to our lungs which grew while we were fed through our umbilical cord. We make choices which shape our life without any idea of life after our death and birth into eternity.

The 3rd will be our life in eternity once - by death - we have been pushed out of this womb of space-time and born into eternity. If we are Capax Dei – capable of life with God - we will delight in a life "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him."(1 Cor 2,9).

Cecil grew in character and popularity thanks to his commitment to the school, the boys, and his Chiswick community by so many acts of service – about which you heard in the two eulogies.

When as Head Boy I was invited to the Old Boys Dinner, Cecil drove me there in his little blue car (I seem to think I remember it was Ford Popular) – and drove me home to Dulwich afterwards. Thank God. COXA had been very generous with its supply of beer to an 18-year-old!

I am sure that Cecil, thanks to his love of God - expressed in his service to Clapham College and Chiswick, where he was its Mayor for a year and after his retirement a volunteer at OLG - died capable of life with God. He is, where one day I hope to be, when I too am born into eternity.

Whenever I celebrate mass, I think of the word TAPS. I celebrate mass to Thank God, Ask God, and Praise God - today for Cecil and - on his behalf - say sorry for his mistakes. Cecil was human; a life very well lived, accumulating into a great man. His life certainly enriched mine.