Saying good-bye to a friend is always painful. His absence leaves a vacuum which no one can fill since each person is unique and irreplaceable. Saying good-bye means that we can no longer look into his eyes, shake his hand, listen for his footsteps, or contemplate his smile. But our faith tells us that from today onward Brother Urban is with us in another way, less evident but very real. Now we have not only pleasant memories of him, we also know that he enjoys the fullness of new life in which there are no tears and no sorrow.

I believe that when we take leave of a Brother at 97 years of age, we have a motive for giving thanks to God for the gift of a long life, lived in hope. He desired to continue his study of languages, a fact that he shared with a group of us on the occasion of our last visit with him. He was always up to date on the latest sports statistics and was very attentive to others (I remember that during my last visit with him, he said that we should go because we had already been with him a long time). Calm to the end he did not want to cause trouble for anyone.

This Sunday's reading can easily be applied to our Brother. Humble yourself, says Ecclesiasticus, and you will find favor with God. Urban was of great physical stature, but he maintained the heart of a child. He knew how to enjoy life's simple pleasures. You have approached Mount Zion, the city of the living God. These words from the Letter to the Hebrews have come true for our Brother who, in the heavenly Jerusalem, has met God the universal judge, Jesus the mediator of the new covenant of love and salvation, and so many of the just with whom he lived his long life and who preceded him into eternal life.

But above all the Gospel can be applied to the life of our Brother Urban. Friend, come up higher for those who humble themselves will be exalted. When he died Urban had neither homeland nor nationality. During his life he exercised his apostolate in Singapore and then in Saint Paul's for many years and Saint Patrick's Institute in Myanmar, his homeland. But political circumstances obliged him to leave his homeland and during the last 35 years of his life he lived in exile, rendering service to his Brothers in various ways.

As we have all seen, this did not prevent him from living his life serenely and joyfully. In the Institute and in his Brothers in the Generalate and in England he discovered the fraternal affect that is essential for living a balanced life. I especially remember that during our visits both at Colle La Salle and in St. Camillus Hospital everyone commented that he seemed content with the presence of his brothers. I will personally never forget how grateful and proud he was that I would visit him. For these reasons I feel that in Urban we have another intercessor for the Institute in heaven.

The eloquent example we have in Jesus, who though first, assumed the last place. and for that reason, God raised him up in glory. This example continues to be a challenge for each of us in the mission God has entrusted to us, however small or great we may consider it to be. Like Urban we ought to humbly carry out our service as did Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. It seems that this was his secret and hopefully will be the force that enlightens our journey every day.

I would like to express my profound thanks to the Brothers of the Generalate who during the last 35 years have accompanied our Brother in fraternal love. Thanks also to the District of Rome and especially to the Brothers and Sisters in Colle La Salle who welcomed him with so much affection and who took such good care of him during his last days. We extend our sympathy and solidarity to his family which is far away, spread throughout many countries, and to his Sub-District of Myanmar which hopefully will know better days and be encouraged by the example of their elder Brother.

Br. Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría