Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the funeral of one of the first members of this wonderful parish. She has finally completed her earthly journey and been reunited with her husband and her sons in the Father's house.
Funeral homily for Aura Conway
We are here this afternoon
to pray with all the members of Aura’s family, and to commend to Almighty God,
the soul of one of our parish’s true pioneers.
Moments such as these are precious opportunities for the entire community
to remember, to give thanks and to look forward in hope.
Those who had the
privilege of knowing this wonderful woman probably remember a time when she was
an integral part of the life of this parish.
From the time when this community used to gather in another physical
location, she would come into the church with her husband and her children,
take their places in the pews and offer their prayers. Some who are here today might very well
remember a time when Aura was part of the Cenacle. This group of dedicated individuals still
gathers in this church to pray the rosary and to ask for the intercession of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary’s prayer
is very powerful because she knows the trials and tribulations of every mother
and she cares for us and loves us with the heart of a mother who is somehow
able to know us even better than we know ourselves.
Occasions such as these
give us all a chance to stop and to remember.
We began this liturgy at the entrance to the church. We greeted Aura’s mortal remains and
sprinkled them with holy water as a reminder of the day when she was baptized
and welcomed into the family of God’s children.
Saint Paul tells us that when we
were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death (Rom 6:3).
Aura and her husband Don
always believed that it was important to participate in the life of the parish
and to find ways to give back to the community in gratitude for the good that
they themselves had received. When I
first met her, more than two years ago, others told me that she had once served
as the President of the Saint Peter the Apostle CWL Council. It takes a special lady to serve as Parish
Council President, because such a commitment means that she must be willing to
die to herself, to be willing and able to look beyond her own interests and to
consider the needs of the wider community of faith. Aura would be proud to know that the ladies
of Saint Peter’s Parish Council are still deeply committed to their faith and
still look for ways to live their lives for God and for country.
I learned the other day
that not only was Aura a committed member of this parish; she was also
committed to the community at large.
Even after she and Don had moved their family to Southern Ontario, she
found a way to volunteer as a teacher’s assistant in special education
classes. This dedication and love for
children is yet another example of how she was willing to give of herself, imitating Christ in his death so that one
day she might hope to imitate him also in his resurrection (cf Rom 6:5).
Where does a woman like
Aura find the strength of conviction to do all that she did? The answer is simple: she found her strength
in prayer and in an abiding faith in the love of God, and she found her
strength in the loving relationship she shared for 57 years with her husband
Don. The Book of Sirach tells us that a loyal wife brings joy to her husband (Sir
26:2). I think that we can all agree
that not only did Aura bring joy to her husband, she shared the joy of her
faith with everyone she met. She might
not be willing to admit it, but others who knew her would quite openly admit
that she was a blessing to all of us (cf Sir 26:3) and that her charm and her
skill were certainly among the reasons why so many people respected her and
loved her in this life.
Whether among the members
of her own family or in any of her many volunteer positions, she always sought
to instruct, to correct and to lead by example.
This is good advice for all of us, even today. Let us then take a moment to give thanks for
all that we have learned from her words and from her example.
If she were still able to
speak with us today, she would probably tell us the same thing that Jesus told
to his disciples when he knew that his time with them was drawing to a close: do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in
God still and trust in me (Jn 14:1).
We disciples of Jesus believe that physical death is not the end of the
story. In fact, we believe that life is
changed at the moment of physical death, not ended.
Aura’s soul has left her
body, but it is now reunited in heaven with her beloved husband Don, and with
her cherished sons Brent and Carey. In
fact, Doneen told me that the last three days of Aura’s earthly life were good
days, but she was looking forward to spending Sunday in heaven, and to being
Home with her husband and her boys to celebrate her wedding anniversary with
them.
Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn
14:6) reassures us that there are many
rooms in the Father’s house (Jn 14:2).
Now that she has returned to the Fathers house, Aura waits for us with
the open arms of a mother who is overjoyed to be united with the sons she had
been separated from for so long. She
will continue to watch over us and guide us until the day that we meet once
again. In the meanwhile, we must
continue our pilgrimage through this life, striving always to show others by
our words and by our example how important the values of instruction,
correction and example truly are.
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