Madeline St. Michel Funeral
April 8, 2005
Sympathy to Fritz and all Madeline’s family and friends…
To Madeline everyone was “dear”. Not only did Madeline call everyone dear; but, even though she may not have admitted it, she was a dear woman herself. We gather here today to celebrate dear Madeline's life and commend dear Madeline to our dear God.
Madeline worked hard in her life. One of her children described her as a fireball. She was always the one who took charge - no matter the situation she was always in control. Even though Madeline was a fireball she was a dear fireball to those who know and love her.
That word dear is often a term of endearment used between a husband and wife. It is a word that we use to describe someone who is beloved, cherished, valued, and treasured; some who is precious to us. Madeline was a dear wife to her husband Fritz. She was a dear mother to her children a dear grandmother, great grandmother, sister - a dear friend to those who know her.
Fritz, when you and Madeline stood before a priest at St. Peter’s church in Gentilly almost 63 years ago, you entered into the sacrament of marriage. We call marriage a sacrament because we believe that the love that a husband and wife have for each other is a symbol for the entire world to see – a symbol of the love that God has for each one of us.
Your marriage is a sacramental marriage. The two of you were practically inseparable - whether at daily Mass or just out and about around town. The love you have for each other radiated from the two of you right to the end. Fritz, I especially came to know how much you loved Madeline when you were sitting by her hospital bed, holding her hand and telling her she could go to God now. What an unselfish act of love - a symbol for your family to see - a symbol of the kind of love that God has for each of us.
Dear Madeline will be missed a great deal. I pray, however, that we find some consolation and some peace in our belief that death is not an end. It was because of your faith in Jesus, Fritz, that you and your children were able to say to Madeline, “it is time to go home to God now,” as she lay in her hospital bed. It is because of our faith in Jesus that we understand St. Paul when he says that our affliction in this world “is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
Madeline no longer suffers the afflictions of her leukemia and cancer. In faith we believe she has gone to a glorious place God has prepared for her that is beyond anything we can possibly imagine. We might imagine our dear Lord greeting Madeline, “my dear child, my beloved, my precious one… welcome to your home that I have been preparing for you from the beginning of time.” We might also imagine that Madeline's response to Jesus would be; “thank you, dear”. I pray we find consolation in that faith.
We are sad and Madeline will certainly be missed, but I hope we understand as people of faith that St. Paul speaks not only of Madeline today. He speaks of us as well. As people with faith in Jesus we understand that our affliction, our sadness, our grief - “is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” Our call from God is to continue to be people of faith, continue to love and support one another, and continue live our life to the fullest in this world. God, in the meantime, continues to prepare a place for us, a glorious place, a place beyond anything we can imagine, a place where one day we might imagine Jesus and Madeline saying to each of us, “welcome home, dear.”