Dear Family of Marie Marsh,
This public and personal letter is for you. When I went to Marie Marsh's funeral Mass this morning, I first took the time to view her in the vestibule and was touched by her serenity, beauty and youthful look. This is remarkable since she was 101 years old when she died Tuesday, August 16, the day after the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.
Father Saji's eulogy for Marie was spontaneous and beautiful! Since he - prior to her passing - had annointed her himself, he showed feelings of being part of the family and talked about Marie from a loving perspective -from a loving heart that knew her personally. He said that she "let her light shine" and "was faithful to her life." Now this is interesting: I never heard anyone say we should be "faithful to our life". Yes, we should be faithful to Jesus, and to our spouse, to our children, our family and our community; but this phrase: "faithful to our life" is perhaps an "Indian cultural" view of our personal fidelity to our own life as well as all that means or entails.
Let us look how Marie was "faithful to her life":
1) She was faithful to developing her own mind: she was librarian for 41 years and became an avid reader. Fr. Saji said she had stacks of books within reach at home. Oscar Socia, who lives next door to me, served with Marie on the Library Board here in New Baltimore and remembers her well. He came to Mass to honor her and her memory. He respects her as an intellectual. He told me today that Marie founded the New Balitmore library all by herself. Then other ladies joined her. Our New Baltimore Library should be called "Marie Marsh Library" because it was her "own baby" that she conceived and gave birth to. I pray that her name will soon be on our library not "MacDonald". Yes, God bless him for re-building it. But Marie founded it. She was its first director in 1941 and remaind so for 42 years. He would have nothing to rebuild if she had not devotedly created our library out of her "beautiful mind." Fr. Saji said that Marie was "the salt of the earth and the light of the world." She surely was! And her light still illuminates the minds of all those who come into the library every day. But most of all she was a "Light" to her family and to her extended family - all of us.
2) She shared herself not only with her own 4 children but with her 4 grandchildren as well. She shared herself totally by raising her own 4 children and also 4 grandchildren in the same house. There were "8 kids in her house" all at her table every day. She cooked for her granfather, husband, 8 kids and herself everyday. That is real sharing! I had the privilege of meeting one of those grandchildren, Jennifer Frederickson, who told me some loving memories. Looking at Marie's grandchild, Jennife, was like looking at Marie because grandchildren take on much of their grandmother - in looks and manerism and values. You can see Marie's beauty and love for life and love for people in Jennifer's beauty and love for life and love for people.
3) Fr.Saji said that Marie was devoted to her "Family". So, all that we have just said above - as to her family - now has a further dimension: "devotion" - which is total love without possible withdrawal. In that sense, since "stronger than death is love", Marie's love and devotion will not only follow her into paradise but will continue to be shown from heaven to her Family - even as this Family grows. Marie will pray for and care for all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren from heaven. Father Saji mentioned that Marie saw 4 generations coming from her. There will be many, many, many more generations coming from her; so Marie will be very, very busy in heaven. Personally, I know that the best way to visit our loved ones who have gone to heaven is simply to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and talk to them in the Host because all our loved one in heaven are in the Eucaristic Sacred Heart of Jesus. Yes, you can visit a grave to honor a loved one; but why not go and talk to your loved one whose spirit is present in the Blessed Sacrament with Jesus in His Heart? I sometimes kiss the tabernacle in the chapel at St. Mary's while saying: "I love you, Mom; I love you, Dad." Marie is present in every tabernacle and in every Holy
Communion that you receive. She can hear you and love you from within the Heart of Jesus. I know this by experience because I have heard the voice of my mom and dad during Holy Communion. I have heard the voice of a beloved priest, Fr. Joe, speak to me from the Eucharist exposed. This truth was affirmed by Fr. David Burgard of Immaculate Conception when I asked him about it. He said: "All those love ones who died are present in the Eucharist." So, Marie is so very close. Her arms and heart are open. This is "communion of saints" - part of our Faith. Of course, because of the "communion of saints", you can talk to your loved one in heaven any time you wish. But they are so very, very, very close in the Holy Eucarist. Jesus said: "God is a God of the living not of the dead." Amen. Amen.
4) Marie, who was a widow for 27 years, kept her mind active and alive and treated herself to a nip of Blackberry Brandy every nite. So, Marie had a celebratory spirit. She led the good life. She enjoyed every little thing in life. She lived her life fully. She had no time to complain; she was too busy loving. Fr. Saji said that she was very grateful for her life. And that we should be very grateful for our life, too, and let our light shine as Marie did. I do very much enjoy every moment of life because this eternal moment will never end. When we go to heaven, our present moment will enter into the very Presence of God who will sustain us in "supreme conscious consciouness", in joyful existence and love forever. But we even have a foretasted of that eternal moment even now; this very moment - living fully in the present in hope and love - will become wonderfuly extended by and with God forever and ever. And we will be "Family " in heaven - enjoying and loving one another forever. Jesus said it would be an "eternal banquet" not only of food but of Family love.
Finally, God does have a sense of humor. He permitted Marie 101 years of love on this earth and took her home to heaven on the very day that her library card expired. God knows everything - even when our library card expires; but since Marie was librarian for 41 years, God respects the rules of her library and smiled a Fatherly smile when taking her home. I know God has a sense of humor because He created our sense of humor; so He must have the best one - an infinite sense of humor - the best ever!
Let us pray:
Dearest Father,
Please take Marie to your bosom this day and embrace her forever. Let all the love she ever gave or ever received follow her into paradise. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Love, Pio xo
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