She was a pioneer

FUNERAL HOMILY FOR LUELLA NORMAN

It started with a phone call last week … well, to be honest, there were probably a number of phone calls made to the parish office before the messages got to where they needed to.  One thing led to another, and before I realized it, I was standing in the hallways of Eastholme in Powassan.  Actually, I arrived at the north elevators at about the same time as Roseanne and some of the other girls were arriving for shift change.

That was my first encounter, and as it turns out I’ve had a few other moments to meet and chat with Luella’s children, some of her grandchildren and the rest of her family.  Today, we bring this lady, one of the pioneers of Saint Peter the Apostle, back home to the church she has attended for most of her 88 years here on earth.  Here, within these walls, and at the other building that once served as the gathering place and place of prayer for the pioneers of this parish, Luella came to pray.  In times of great celebration and in times of trial, she knelt in these pews.

Even as I was being introduced to her children last week, they were already telling me that she had taught them all how to pray the rosary, and I could only imagine that this prayer of popular piety was only one of the ways in which she modeled her faith for the benefit of so many.  You see, for people of faith, it is not the achievements of this life that will be remembered, so much as it is the kindnesses we have shown, the love we have shared and the dedication we have demonstrated which will remain in the memories of those who come after us.  We do all this, following the example of Jesus himself who came among us to show us the depth of the Father’s love.

God’s love for each of us knows no bounds.  In fact, to demonstrate it to us, Jesus gave his very life, like a grain of wheat that falls in the ground and dies so that it can yield a rich harvest.  I only met this woman a few days ago, but you have had the privilege to witness the ways in which she gave of herself, allowing herself to die to self so that the rich harvest of her love could be known.  This love was shown equally to the many friends who worked closely with her on so many CWL projects and in so many other ways within this vibrant community of faith.  It is thanks to her efforts and to those of her contemporaries that we today enjoy the many gifts that continue to be identified and nurtured within this parish.

At the centre of her life was the discipline of prayer.  In the intimacy of that conversation with God, she celebrated and gave thanks on the day of her wedding, and during the many years she was blessed to share with her husband Harry, and certainly she celebrated and gave thanks for each of her children.  As time went on, she also rejoiced as each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren came along.  How often was she present to celebrate with you the days of great and joyful happiness: baptisms, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries?

She was also present to so many others at moments when they needed consolation and hope: when some were faced with medical challenges, and when others needed to be reminded of the consolation of faith especially as we mourn the loss of friends and loved ones.  Faith is tested at such moments, but faith when tested always grows stronger if we truly believe that death is but a doorway into eternity.  All of us will one day knock at this door, and when it is opened, our faith teaches us that we will be welcomed into the fullness of life.  In order to convince us of this truth, Jesus himself suffered, died and rose again.  Remember that last part: he rose again!  Because of that, it will be the same for Luella, and it will be the same for all of us who have died in Jesus.  God will bring us with him to heaven, and we will be with him forever.  As people of faith, let us give thanks this day for the gifts and graces that we have known in the life of Luella Norman, and let us pray for the grace to continue living the promise of resurrection for the benefit of those we are yet to meet.