Thank you for your prayers

About a week ago, we learned of the death of one of our oldest and most respected parishioners.  Here is the text of the reflection I prepared for the funeral liturgy which we celebrated earlier today.

Funeral homily for Margaret (Peggy) Dillon

A little more than two years ago, when I had received the news that I was to be appointed as pastor to this parish, I remember speaking briefly with Father Peter.  He told me then that plans had been made for a pictorial directory of the parish to be prepared.  Anyone who has taken the time to browse through this most recent directory knows that it begins with a written history of the life of this parish, and then continues with a pictorial rendering of each of the people who was part of the parish at the time of the book’s printing.

The lived history of this people of faith began on September 19, 1954, and Peggy was present as part of this community then.  Throughout the sixty plus years that have come and gone since that day, she has sat in our pews, she has prayed within these walls, she has decorated this space, she has loved us and she has been loved by us.

Like all those who enter these walls, Peggy came to listen for Jesus’ words of guidance.  How many times did she hear the words of Jesus that we have heard in the gospel account read this morning: I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words and believe in the One who sent me, has eternal life (John 5:24).  Inspired by these words, she dedicated her life to raising her precious son Jim, and then after he and Donnette had been married, she turned her focus to the parish she so dearly loved.  In addition to the love she had for her immediate family, she shared her many gifts with her extended family too.

A dedicated member of the Catholic Women’s League for some sixty-four years, she willingly contributed her talents in many ways to God and to Canada, while joyfully sharing the gift of her faith with all her sisters in the League.  Peggy was a very talented woman, and did not hesitate to share her artistic gifts with this community.  Many parishioners still remember the many years during which she cared for the liturgical environment, beautifying this place of worship with many beautiful banners, all of which she made herself (with the help of anyone who happened to pass by her home).  She was an extremely accomplished seamstress, and many of us have been the benefactors of her willingness to share such talent so generously.  

She was also responsible for the creation of our Prayer Partner program, believing that it was (and still is) important that all true friendships in faith should begin and end in prayer.  Jim told me a few days ago that when Peggy was searching for a way to do something more to bring the parish together, she prayed for guidance and the result of her prayer was a deep understanding that we need to pray for one another, and in fact, we all need someone else to pray for us.  This program still continues today as a testament to this belief.

In recognition for Peggy’s commitment to her faith and to the life of this parish, she was awarded a Diocesan Medal of Merit in 1995, and she always prized this medal as a token of acknowledgement from the Bishop of the diocese for her willingness to share her faith with others.

Today, the community of Saint Peter the Apostle parish gathers to pray our dear sister Peggy home.  A few weeks ago, when she was admitted to hospital, news seemed to spread like wildfire.  I think it was only a matter of hours before I heard that she had been hospitalized, and as the days progressed, more and more people would ask: How is Peggy?  Have you heard?  With each new person who asked, I knew that more and more people were adding their prayers to the chorus of those who were beseeching heaven on her behalf, and when I got a chance to speak with her on the telephone, it was immediately evident that Peggy knew that we were all praying for her.  Please say hello to everyone and thank them for their prayers, she said.  Despite her declining physical condition, I wasn’t at all surprised to hear her speak such words.  Throughout her many decades of committed service, Peggy has always been concerned first and foremost about telling others about God who is the source of life (John 5:26), and about his son Jesus who gave his life for us.

In the days that have come and gone since we received the news that she had completed her journey to the Father’s House, many of us have reflected on the countless ways in which Peggy has been a living part of the history of this parish.  Today, our presence in this place is an act of faith and belief.

• Faith in the promise of Jesus who told his disciples that those who did good will rise again to life (John 5:29); and belief that the promise made to Peggy on the day of her baptism is now being fulfilled. 
• Faith that the Lord … will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food; and belief that here in this place, gathered around this table, we already receive a foretaste of the banquet that is yet to come.
• Faith that our sister is now in the loving arms of our God, and belief that the emptiness that now inhabits our hearts is yet another invitation for us to trust that he will remove the mourning veil that seems to enwrap us, and replace it with the abundant joy of knowing that Peggy is rejoicing in heaven along with other members of her family who have gone before her.

Peggy’s earthly life is now complete.  The Book of Revelation says that now, she can rest forever after the work she has completed (Rev 14:13), but from her place in heaven, I am sure that Peggy is now looking down on all those who have known her in this life.  She asked me once to thank you for your prayers; now if she could speak with a human voice, she would tell you herself: I have seen the living God, in whom we have hoped for salvation (cf Isaiah 25:9); let us exult and rejoice, for he has saved us.