Everyone is "struggling to make sense" of a tragedy that saw a father and his two sons killed in Cork earlier this week.
Father Toby Bluitt told the funeral mass for Tadg and Diarmuid O'Sullivan that the "shock, numbness and devastation" that occurred on Monday was "impossible to imagine."
It’s understood Tadg's eldest son Mark died first in an upstairs bedroom of the family farmhouse.
Mechanic Tadg and younger son Diarmuid sustained fatal gunshot wounds in a field around 600 metres away.
A separate funeral for Mark will be held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kanturk, at 3.30pm on Saturday.
And speaking to mourners at St Mary's Church in Castlemagner on Friday afternoon, Father Bluitt said "there are no answers" for the unspeakable tragedy.
"Today’s Gospel from Luke which depicts the Passion of Christ speaks of a darkness coming over the whole world, indeed it seemed like that same darkness, the darkest hour of creation - enveloped the O’Sullivan family and the local community here in Castlemagner over the past number of days," he said.
"The normally tranquil local area blanketed at this time of year with a myriad of colourful Autumn leaves became a hive of activity and the Autumn light was, for a time, a very distant memory.
"The shock, the numbness, the devastation, was impossible to imagine and the unfolding news of the loss of three lives was incomprehensible.
"At times like this, to quote from Jesuit Father John Reese, “a priest does not come down the mountain like Moses … with inspiration from God.” Just like all of you, I too am struggling to make sense of this life changing tragedy."
Fr Bluitt said that he knew Tadg O'Sullivan, who worked locally in the motor trade for four decades, and always found him pleasant.
He told how Diarmuid had recently completed an Accountancy course at Cork Institute of Technology, and was due to graduate online next week.
"One would imagine that life was full of possibilities for him," Fr Bluitt said.
"One could also say that both Tadg and Diarmuid touched many people’s lives along the way as they journeyed through life.
"Their lives and deaths have changed you all and you will never be the same again.
"So today, gathered together in our grief, we do not minimise the loss of their lives by trying to provide easy answers.
"Because there are no answers.
"But there are some things that we do know in the midst of our grief.
"We know that this was not God’s will, that the Lord’s prayer teaches us 'thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. God’s will is not always done on earth as the tragedy of this week reminds us.
"We know that this was not a 'wake up call', nor did it happen so that we can learn something.
"For God is moved by this tragedy too."
He added: "Today, we come in our grief, our pain, our anger and our confusion.
"Do we chose to allow the heart breaking turbulence of tragedy to hold us captive? To rob us of our destination? To cloud the glimmer of light that will guide us on our way?
"Or do we chose to walk out from the shadows and actions of darkness?
"To take small steps towards our destination. Toward the light and brightness of a new day."
