Following is the homily given by Abbot Timothy Kelly for Father Emmanuel at his funeral liturgy. The gospel is meant to be a revelation of Jesus Christ, his message of God's love, of hope, but also of God's expectations of us. As a revelation of Jesus Christ, the gospel is a revelation of the passion of God for humanity, a passion surely expressed in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but also expressed in every word and action that the gospel brings to our attention. The reading we have just listened to from the Gospel of Saint Matthew speaks to us of a mysterious action of Jesus.
Prophetic action can speak louder and with deeper penetration than mere words at times.
In the Old Testament the prophets frequently used a symbolic action to illuminate a truth people needed to perceive if they were to get a fuller view of the message intended. Jesus is in that tradition when he curses a fig tree that from all externals looked healthy with its abundant foliage. It might look nice and give some shade, but it ends up existing for itself rather than for feeding those for whom it was planted. It uses up the nutrients of the soil without making a contribution to the feeding of others. The symbolism is clear.