Here is the reflection I prepared for the service that took place today in memory of a woman who was loved and cherished by many, one who has left us far before her time should have come.
Reflection for the
funeral of Mary Clare Whitwell
Mary Clare Whitwell was known, appreciated and loved by
many people. Those of us who have come
here today are living witnesses to the many ways in which her life has been
intertwined with the lives of others.
Whether she was a colleague, a friend, a daughter, a
wife, a mother, a grandmother or a great-grandmother to us, our lives have all been
influenced by hers. Each of us can
recall moments of joy that we shared with her, or times when we looked to her for
advice, or perhaps occasions when we needed a shoulder to lean on and she was
there. As we recall all of these
moments, there is a part of us that perhaps still cannot believe that she will
no longer be here among us, able to speak with us, able to laugh with us, able
to touch, or hug or love us – not in the way that we have known her.
But there is another story that is being told in our
midst: it is a story that began when Mary was born, when her life of faith
began, when her life with Jesus began. This
story has existed alongside the story that we have seen unfold throughout her
short life. From the moment that she was
brought to the baptismal font, and began to live as a child of God, she has
been preparing for this moment: the time when the Lord comes to greet her.
The story is the same for all of us, because just as we
learn lessons about life from our parents, our grandparents, and our lived
experiences, so too, whether we recognize it or not, we are preparing every day
for the day that will come for all of us: the day when our master will return from the wedding feast, and we must be ready
and waiting to open the door when he
comes and knocks (Lk 12:36).
Today, we are here to give thanks to God for all the moments that we were privileged to share with Mary. We remember with gratitude all the experiences we have shared, and we pray that the Lord will open the doors of heaven and welcome her into her eternal reward. Freed from the confines of earthly existence, may her soul now live in the fullness of joy, and may she now watch over all of you, interceding for you and guiding you along the path that you must walk, so that you too will be ready and waiting when the master comes and knocks.
Today, we are here to give thanks to God for all the moments that we were privileged to share with Mary. We remember with gratitude all the experiences we have shared, and we pray that the Lord will open the doors of heaven and welcome her into her eternal reward. Freed from the confines of earthly existence, may her soul now live in the fullness of joy, and may she now watch over all of you, interceding for you and guiding you along the path that you must walk, so that you too will be ready and waiting when the master comes and knocks.
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