My first memory of death was at my grandfather’s viewing and funeral. I recollect my grandfather’s sister's cries abruptly silenced when she fainted. Then, a moment I will never forget- As I clutched my father’s pant leg, I looked up to see him wiping his faceful of tears. He then gave me a sad smile and an enveloping hug. My Superman has cried many times since then, but this first memory will not be forgotten.
Due to our large family and extended faith family, Forest Lawn Cypress was no stranger to my youth and adolescence. But it was surprising to find myself in the Philippines the past two years, experiencing different kinds of mourning. From the weeklong house viewings to the all day gatherings at the cemetery for All Saints Day, to experiencing a natural disaster claiming hundreds of lives. I will never forget being in the Mortuary, mourning the lives of our sister’s family, and leaving only to see a truck-full of body bags arrive.
It is now, while mourning the death of my parents’ friend, our long-time church mate and a woman I can honestly call a sister in Christ, that I am reminded of how fragile this life is. Ofelia Alcaraz Navarro, or Ate Ofie, was an amazing woman. To her very last days, even in the face of death, there was no doubt that her faith was strong and her trust in God was sure. In between shallow breaths, she assured me that God was faithful. Oh, how I desperately want to have this kind of faith! The faith that testified to her nurses in ICU, the faith that gave peace to her husband and family even after her passing, the faith that could only come from God Himself. She knew that her life was in God's hands, and she happily resided there in her earthly body. And now, she resides with Him!
Death, you have no victory here; death, you have no sting! The victory is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God! For now, we are saddened by our loss of Ate Ofie, but we are assuredly happy because of her gain to be with the Lord and the hope that we, too, will one day be in His presence.
1 Corinthians 15:55-56, Philippians 1: 21-23
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
Lyrics by Thomas Obediah Chisholm,
Music by William Marion Runyan
"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
"Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
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