Homily: Funeral for Peter Poloney

On December 23, 2019, just after turning 93 years old, my father-in-law Peter Poloney died…joining with the Communion of Saints, with his beloved wife, Patricia, who died just months ago.  It is not uncommon for a couple who spent so many years together to die within months of one another…as it was with Peter.  So yesterday we laid Peter to rest – back at “home” with Patricia…together again to spend an eternity fishing, laughing and loving.

Their favorite past time of fishing reminded me of the passage from John, where Peter and his friends spend a day and evening fishing and catching nothing. With that, they received ‘fishing advice’ from the risen Jesus, who was on shore - advice which is actually key to all of us who continue to mourn the death of this beloved couple. See what I mean…