Funeral homily for Mary Wilkolaski
Laudate Jesus Christus!
The Christian community gathers here this morning to pray for
our beloved sister Mary, and to commend her into the loving arms of our
Saviour. Today is Holy Thursday, the day on which the Church remembers and
celebrates the meeting of Jesus with his disciples in the Upper Room, and the
observance of the Passover meal that was to be Jesus last supper. Perhaps in a
sense it is fitting that on this day when we remember Jesus gathered with his
disciples around a table, we should also be celebrating Mary’s meeting with
Jesus, since she too was well known among family and friends for her
hospitality, for her culinary talent, and for her willingness to welcome so
many to her table.
I’m sure that if Mary’s table could speak, it would tell
quite a tale. There would be chapters about joyous celebrations that took place
there, and there would be stories about worries that were shared along with a
cup of tea or coffee. There would be adventures told about the woman who could
find just the right words to speak to the hearts of those who gathered there,
about her wisdom, and about her unfailing faith.
Unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it
remains only a single grain, but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. These are the words that Jesus uses
in the gospel chosen for this liturgy. He wanted then to teach his disciples
that faith born out of self-giving is at the heart of our call to follow in his
footsteps. This kind of giving means that we must be courageous enough to be
willing to step outside ourselves, outside our comfort zones, outside
the normal routines of life in order to meet people right where they are. When
we are able to begin relationships by stepping outside of ourselves,
strangers quickly become friends and if we are courageous enough to begin the
telling of our own stories, then these friends will quickly become close
friends, even allies.
Telling our stories to one another necessitates the sharing
of faith too. Faith was at the heart of Mary’s life. It was at the centre of
the life she shared with her beloved John for more than 62 years. It was at the
heart of the joy she experienced as she watched her son Stan grow. Throughout
her life here on earth, she never wavered from her firm belief in Jesus Christ.
In fact, from the moment she was baptised in Christ Jesus, she entered into his
death. That image has always struck me as a bit baffling, but it is very true
because every day of our lives, we die a little more to ourselves, so that we
might live for God and for others. For those of us who believe and hold firm to
this truth, the promise of heavenly life is also true: As Christ was raised
from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.
We encounter glimpses of the heavenly life that awaits us
each time we meet people of faith like Mary. Each time we encounter true joy
and the certainty of God’s promise, we can’t help but believe. Jesus came to
this earth to proclaim this good news to us. Should we not also be willing to
share this joyous news with others? We don’t need fancy technology in order to
tell this truth. In fact we live it, we breathe it every time we greet a new
day with faith. All we truly need in order to share the good news of faith is
the courage to believe it ourselves, and a willingness to step outside of our
own comfort zones.
We give thanks this day for the gift that Mary has been to
all of us, and for the example of faith she has lived in this community and
elsewhere. We pray today that God will have mercy on her soul and welcome her
into heaven where she will know the fullness of his peace and his joy, and
where she will now wait for us, even as she intercedes for us, calling on the
heart of the Blessed Virgin to add her prayers too for our protection. Pray for
us Mary, that we too may always know that our Redeemer lives, and that one
day … we shall look on God, our Saviour.
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