On Christmas Day we celebrated God's love - not only in word - but Made Flesh in God's Son, Jesus Christ. God's love - in word and flesh - that you and I can see and touch . . . interact with and connect to in personal and intimate ways.

Throughout His life and public ministry, Jesus - the Incarnate Word Made Flesh - lived and shared God's love with everyone by His preaching, healing and teaching. Because of His words and actions, God's love was not some abstract concept, ideal, or an eventual goal to reach - but Someone - every person could immediately see and touch. . . Someone - every person could comfortably interact with and connect to - filling their hearts with faith and hope. . . giving their lives meaning and direction.

In our Scripture reading this morning, God's love assures us from the Book of Wisdom - "the sou1s of the just are in the hand of God, they shall be greatly blessed, abiding with God forever because grace, mercy and care are with God's elect; in the Responsorial Psalm - "the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want for goodness and kindness follow me and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come"; from the Book of Revelations - "blessed are the dead who die m the Lord, let them find rest ftom the

labors." Jesus comforts us when He says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. . . learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; for my way is easy, and my burden light."

All of us gathered here today have seen and touched. . . interacted with and connected to that love ,of God in Sr. Kathleen Marie because we have known, been taught by, shared community and a friendship with someone who helped us in our journey to God. Throughout her ministry as a Dominican Sister, Sister Kathleen Marie empowered us to become an "incarnation ," an "enfleshment" of God's love.

In the classroom, keeping score at basketball games, counseling a student's troubled heart or wounded spirit, reaching out to the poor and marginal - "Pennies for Peru," the dedication and commitment to teaching young people at Msgr. Donovan High School for nearly 40 years, the many fond memories each of us has as family, friend, co-worker and a Dominican Sister of Hope - God's love was seen, celebrated and lived in Sr. Kathleen Marie.

At times, it may have been incomplete, less-than-perfect, somewhat unbending, difficult to understand - but nevertheless a mirror of the Divine. It stirred within us firm resolve and passion to commit our lives for God's good, to live as people of faith, to believe that God does care for us and with God all good things are possible.

Each one of us, by virtue of our baptism and particular calling in life is invited to walk in the footstep of Jesus, to imprint God's mark upon the hearts and in the lives of others, to serve well and faithfully wherever God needs us, to lead others to faith in God and to become God's human, fragile vessels of love.

We have witnessed all these things in the life and ministry of Sr. Kathleen Marie. We mourn her death yet we are grateful to God. We remember her and pray for her.

Love is not only a word we communicate to someone, like: "I love you!" Love is also a word that must always be "made flesh" - something we can see and touch. . . someone we can interact with and connect to in personal and intimate ways.

When the word - love - is made flesh - there is God. Where there is God - there is always good news, great joy! Faith and hope live in God's people!

Rest in peace, Sr. Kathleen Marie - good and faithful servant of the Lord. Rest and live in peace, forever; pray to God for each one of us!!

Msgr Chris Di Lella
Pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish, Madison NJ
A student of Sister Kathleen Marie in the 60s