14/11/2024

Catherine Anne Barden Cremation, Mortlake

“I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. “

Jesus has taken Catherine to himself for ever in eternity.

You will have noticed that my stole - this cloth around my neck - is purple on one side, white on the other.

The purple reflects our loss at Catherine’s death and departing. The white represents Catherine’s delight at meeting God face to face and experiencing divine love immediately.

I encourage you to bear that in mind so that your bereavement and grief may be somewhat assuaged.

You see, thanks to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I know that we have three not just two stages of living our lives.

First, there we were, in our mother's womb.

Not breathing, just growing until, after some nine months, we are pushed out and start breathing. Seeing our mother's face for the first time.

Now, here we are, in our second stage of life; breathing, seeing, learning, growing old - not, I hope, as a dog but as a fine wine. The title of my autobiography is “ A Journey to Eternity” – as all our lives are.

At death, we come to the end of the beginning - and the beginning of the end. 

We are born into eternity, as Catherine has been.

I, personally, can't wait to die and see the face of God for the first time, and be able to ask so many questions in my mind about creation.

So, I thank God for Catherine’s life, which, I learned was a very fine one.

She enriched so many lives by her kindness, her inner peace and generosity.