Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It has been four weeks since our beloved Ben passed away, four weeks since he entered into the banquet of heaven. Four weeks… and yet it feels like yesterday, and also, perhaps, like a lifetime. We remember Ben today, a brilliant mind and a gentle soul, a determined athlete and a world traveler. We recall his infectious smile, his deep respect for his parents, and that profound empathy that moved him to tears at the thought of losing his father.

Today’s readings offer us profound comfort, especially the words of the Prophet Isaiah: 'Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the dust. For your dew is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth.' This isn't just poetry; it is a promise. It is God’s assurance that death does not have the final say. Our Ben, who now rests in peace, is not truly gone. He lives in Christ, and through Christ, he lives for us.

And then we hear Jesus himself, in the Gospel of Matthew: 'Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.' What a tender invitation! Is there any burden heavier than the grief of losing a child, a brother, a friend? Alan and Thao, Ryan, you have carried and continue to carry an unimaginable weight. But Jesus doesn't just acknowledge your pain; He offers to share it, to lighten it. He says, 'Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.'

Ben, like young Saint Carlo Acutis, was a modern teenager with a deep capacity for love and a brilliant curiosity. He touched so many lives in his fifteen years. His legacy of kindness, charity, and hope continues, not least through the 'Well of Love' dedicated in his name in Vietnam. This well, bringing life-sustaining water, is a beautiful symbol of how Ben’s spirit continues to flow, bringing goodness to the world.

When we grieve, it’s easy to feel lost, to wonder how to go on. But Ben’s life, his fight, his belief that 'trying is all that matters,' reminds us to keep living, to keep loving. He would want you, Alan and Thao, to find strength in each other, and in your precious son Ryan. He would want you to continue living fully, to cherish every moment, just as he did. He is watching over you, an angel at the Banquet of Heaven, interceding for you, and for a cure for leukemia.

So, let us come to Jesus, all of us who are burdened. Let us lay our grief, our sorrow, our questions at His feet. Let us trust in His promise of rest, His promise of resurrection. Let us find solace in the knowledge that Ben is alive in Christ, and that one day, we will be reunited. May this hope, stronger than any sorrow, fill your hearts with peace.