This is the cry of the soul for its God. It is the yearning of the soul as it appreciates and feels deeply the love of God. The soul has realized that it finds its home only in God and therefore it is crying out to be one with her beloved: her God. Once the soul has experienced the intense and life giving love of its creator it is completely changed and its sole purpose is to be in total unity with God. This generates a faith which touches the very core of the human person. It is a faith that becomes alive, with a constant fire burning. A faith that becomes motivated by love and is energizing. A faith that makes the person radiate with exuberance.
This in essence was the faith of Mgr John Duffus. Whenever he ministered as a priest there was a palpable and tangible zeal about him. He was convinced that God was alive in Him and that whatever he did was animated and nourished by the life giving presence of Jesus Christ within him. He must have celebrated hundreds of baptisms, weddings and funerals; yet till the last moment he was conscious that in reality it was Jesus Christ, who through him was healing and empowering the people before him.
These last few weeks have been a hard walk. It has been a long walk yet because of his faith it was definitely a healing walk. There were times when I said to him “I can get you another priest to help you with the Masses on the weekend”. He would always look at me and say “At the moment I am ok. I would like to continue doing what I can do – I will let you know when I need help.” When the time came when he could not get out of bed; I said to him “Would you like me to celebrate every day the Eucharist with you here in your room.” His reply was “I would like that, thank you. I will not concelebrate and if I doze off because of the medication please continue with Mass.” It was so heartening to see him extend his hands to join in the prayer of consecration. There were times when as we started with the sign of the cross, he would try to put his hand on his forehead and then because of the sickness he would just leave his hand in mid air.
He considered all of us priests of the Diocese as his family and one of his final prayers for us was “I commend you all to God.” His constant prayer was “Into your hands Lord, into your hands.” Really a man of passionate faith.
Animated and empowered by this conviction that Jesus Christ was alive and active within him, Mgr John Duffus simply loved serving, consoling, celebrating and encouraging others. This is why he chose the second reading of tonight from the first letter of St John. “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.” He treated others with respect irrespective whether they were small children or grown up because we are all created by God.
I was particularly struck by one of the many emails and messages that I received regarding Mgr John. This email was sent by a priest from another diocese and this is what he said. “Years ago, when I was still a student, I came over to Bendigo for 11:00am Mass. I’ve never forgotten one small detail or example during his homily. He said, it is like a coal in the furnace – where the coals are all together near the wood, they burn and assist each other but when one coal is removed from the fire it looses the red glow and becomes black and cold. We, each one of us, are like coals in the fire place that help and assist the fire of God’s love to build up the community. I was particularly touched by this. Over the years this was just one of so many blessings I’ve received sitting in the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The other message was sent to me by a family here in Bendigo. “Our children attend Catholic College Bendigo. They have always held Mgr Duffus with the highest regard. As parents it is rewarding to hear children speak so highly of a priest. Mons was a leader who was so caring and dedicated towards our youth. This is really a gift to parents. In the future when we attend the Cathedral we know we will sense Monsignor’s presence and I know his gentle voice is embedded in my memory. Many children will grow old telling their children of the times Mons gave them a high five leaving church. A truly magnificent man.”
For me personally, John was a friend with whom I could share my innermost dreams, feelings and thoughts. I appreciated his long experience and his wisdom as he was able to wade through the unimportant padding to arrive at the core issue. It was fun to be with him as he loved life, and the good company of priests. I will surely miss him. He was the first person that I informed about my appointment as Bishop of Sandhurst. I still remember his radiant face and his smile as he grabbed my hand and said, “Welcome to the Diocese.” It was a gesture that left a deep mark on me as I was stepping into a role and into a place that I was most unfamiliar with.
I wish to thank personally, all the priests of the Diocese for their care, affection, prayers and deep esteem that they have always displayed towards Mgr John. I thank the Mons’ family for being there over a long and difficult journey. I thank Margaret Seagrave, Pauline Rolfe and Trish Mudge who provided 24 hour medical care. I thank Geoff Toomey, Judy Browne and Hazel Forge for their encouraging presence. I thank the medical staff especially Dr John Gorey, Dr Robert Blum and the nurses from Palliative Care for their professionalism, human touch and understanding. I thank all who in some manner made Mgr John’s life a beautiful experience.
Go now, my friend. We commend you to the Lord. You have been such a faithful servant. Go with our love, with our esteem, with our respect, with our faith and also with our sad heart. Pray for us, so that in whatever situation we might find ourselves in we can pray your favourite prayer. “In manus tuas Domine, commendo spiritum meum. Into your hands oh Lord, I commend my spirit”.
