Fr. Marcel’s Sermon for the Mass of Resurrection of Mrs. Olivia Edwards

Saturday, November 2, 2013 at St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 tells us that: “For everything under the heavens there is a season. A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to reap; A time to tear down and a time to build; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance....”

God the Creator has fixed all things under the sky and one of the things fixed by God is death. Several words and phrases have been used to define, describe and explain the reality of death. For unbelievers, death is the final full-stop, the destruction and the extinction of human life. Death, according to them brings life to a dangerous and pathetic end. But for us Christians and believers, death is rather a transition unto glory. It is a divine appointment which brings all human suffering and misery to a glorious end. Death is a form of healing, a permanent healing for that matter. In Philippians 1:21, St. Paul says: “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” St. Paul sees death, not as a loss for him, rather a gain because it will finally unite him with the One whom he loved so deeply- Jesus Christ. 

On the very day that Mama Olivia Edwards passed, I had the opportunity to hear what I will call “A theology of death from a child.” I was standing in front of the house with some of the folks who had come to be with the Edwards family. Sitting on Mama Olivia’s car was the little angel Alivia. The whole time I was outside, my eyes were on her and Leah to make sure that they don’t attempt to enter the busy road. Then Alivia started saying: “Everybody is crying because Mimi has passed; everybody is crying because Mimi has passed. Why?” Then I moved closer to her and asked, “Baby, do you understand what is happening here? Do you know why everyone is crying?” She said, “hmmmmmmmmmm.... it’s because Mimi has flown out of her body and has gone to heaven.” I said, “Exactly!” Then she asked, “But will she come back and get up?” I said, “no baby.” Then she gave me a long pause. 

William Shakespeare once said that “The whole world is a stage and everybody is merely actors. They have their entrances and exits. Act well your part and there lies the honor.” Brothers and sisters, we’ve gathered here today to honor a wonderful woman, a daughter of Jesus, a child of God, an amazing mother, an amiable friend, a devoted and dedicated Catholic and an active member of this Church who has acted well her part.  She was not only a good mother to her children, she was equally a wonderful mother to all the youth and children in this church and to me as well. Because of her, St. Gerard Majella has a thriving Youth & Children ministry. Because of her, the number of young people in this church is on the increase. How I wished this gathering was to celebrate her 70th or 80th birthday. How I wished this was a thanksgiving Mass to celebrate her recovery from the sickness that killed her. How I wished we are celebrating this Mass of resurrection for her because she died at a very ripe of age of 90. 

During the course of her battle with leukemia, we all prayed. I prayed for her several times asking God to grant to her healing. Of course, what we prayed for was a temporary healing. But God decided otherwise to grant her a permanent healing. She will no longer suffer the ravages of leukemia. Leukemia may think it won the battle, but  oh no, our beloved Mama Olivia won in the end. For there is no doubt in my mind that she is already resting in the bosom of the Lord. She was a woman of faith. Her faith in God was not a hidden one- it was there for all to see. She was deeply loved by so many people. She has a wonderful family that loved and cared for her and has the best collection of friends. There was no time I visited her either at the hospital or at home that she was alone. She was always with people, not just one person. Her children taught me what it means to love and care for a parent, especially when any of them is sick. Her friends taught me the true meaning of friendship. That a friend in need is truly a friend in deed. Her sisters taught me the true meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood. No one gave up on her. Everyone was there for her. And the very day she died, she died in the company of her family and friends. If I were to write anything on her tombstone, I will probably write, “She was profoundly loved by family and friends.” It is very obvious that the manner she was loved was also the manner she loved. She was a very simple, humble, do-not-notice-me kind of person. Even though she lived a ‘do-not-notice-me’ kind of life, her love for others was very visible. If there is one person that genuinely loved me and told it wherever she went, it was Mama Olivia. And I’m gonna really miss her! She was deeply helpful and useful in my ministry here in St. Gerard.

Beloved, let’s find comfort in the words of the first reading taken from Wisdom 3: 1 which says, “The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.” Let’s find some consolation from the second reading taken from Romans 8:35-37 that says, “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Not even trouble or hardship or persecution or hunger or death can do that.” Death has separated us physically from Mama Olivia Edwards but it has not separated her from us spiritually and has not separated her from God. If there is one thing that death did, it was to reunite her with Jesus whom she loved so much. As we weep, mourn, grieve, and lament her painful transition, let’s not forget the words of Jesus in the Gospel we read today taken from John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house, there are so many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And when I have done that, i will come back and take you, so that where I am, you also may be.” 

You are free to weep, but believe that Mama Olivia has gone to inherit her place in heaven. You are free to cry, but do so believing in God and in Jesus Christ who Mama Olivia served faithfully. Death is always a loss. It’s a painful experience for the bereaved because it is a loss of human life, but as you grieve remember that she has not gone into extinction. Jesus says that after he has prepared a place for us, he would come to take us. Mama Olivia’s mansion is ready to be occupied. Jesus has completed hers and she has gone to reside there. To all those who loved her, if you want to reunite with her again, then love Jesus as she loved him. Serve Jesus as she served him. Be  amiable as she was. Be humble as she was. Be simple as she was. Be prayerful as she was. Be gentle as she was. Be true as she was. Be active in your church as she was.