It has been three years. But, it was for just over
38 years that we were blessed to have had Brad with us. And what a joy
it was. It was always so special when he was able to join our small
family for a holiday celebration. It made that celebration complete.
He was so smart – deep he was. And he was so polite and handsome. It
was a joy just to be sitting in the same room with him.
I remember the Christmas that he gave you a check to
pay for a new roof for your home - which was his home as well until he
became a man and set forth on his own life’s journey. It was the
Christmas Day of 2004 that it snowed in Houston making it the first
recorded White Christmas in Houston, Texas. You felt that he, like the
roof, protects you and that he is still protecting you from where he
is. You are very spiritual and even mystical. I find that intriguing.
You know how independent-minded Brad was. Smart
people like him often are. They don’t think that they need anyone or
even God to guide them. Whatever it is they want to do, they can do it
all by themselves. But, he was wrong about this. You may be able to do
many things by yourself, but you cannot save your soul by yourself.
I had talked with Brad about religion and Baptism
– not too extensively because it wasn’t necessary. He had read
books on religious topics and knew about this sacrament. But, he
treated religious beliefs as a cerebral exercise of thought rather
than as a commitment of faith. It was something to contemplate – not
practice. He did not believe in an afterlife. Thus, he was not a
member of any church and did not attend one. But, his beliefs were to
change.
Cancer destroyed his body but it was the stimulus
that saved his soul. I am so glad that I took it upon myself to
contact a priest friend of mine as Brad lay in the emergency room of
the hospital, fighting to breathe and beginning to turn blue.
I introduced the priest and dared to ask Brad if he
wanted to be Baptized. He nodded his acceptance. You were there but
you may not have noticed this or your memory may have been clouded by
the emotions of the time. So, I am telling you this because I want you
to know and forever remember that your son who read about religion but
was a stranger to churches asked to be Baptized. You will remember,
that he told us later that he could breathe easier and was relaxed
after receiving this sacrament. All of his sins were washed away at
that moment and your son was as pure as when you first gave birth to
him.
It was 4 months later that I contacted the priest
again. It was a long drive for him and me from his parish to the
hospital, but he was glad to come. We saw Brad “perk-up” and
actually smile through his pain when he recognized the priest.
The priest had come to administer the rite of
“anointing of the sick” (formerly known as “last rites”). As
you know, Brad had been very angry and “fussy” for days before. I
feared that he would rebel against us all and send the priest away.
But, suddenly, he was calm and smiling. He had not
been able to take food by mouth for days, but you saw him open his
mouth wide and take for the first (and it would be the last) time the
body of Christ. You’ll remember the anointing with oil and the
prayers that the priest said and the forgiveness of his sins once
again. I told Brad that it was more important to heal his soul than to
heal his body. Do you remember all of us praying the Lord’s Prayer
(Our Father) together afterwards?
It was only three days later that Brad passed to the
next life. But, he had been thoroughly cleansed of his sins and had
accepted the body of Christ just days before his passing. On such an
occasion, the body of Christ (Eucharist) is called the “Viaticum”
because taking it helps you along the journey to the next life. How
blessed he was!
So, you have reason to be very, very happy – not
sad or depressed. Your son passed into the next life sinless and
having had the sacrament of the anointing of the sick in the presence
of his small family. There is nothing more that anyone could want for
his or her passing.
Your son is virtually guaranteed to be in heaven.
Everyone who goes to heaven is a saint; so, your son is a saint. He
did it! He reached the ultimate goal. What more could a Mother want?
Passing to the next life is an inevitable experience
of life. There is a divine reason to be overjoyed in the realization
that your son had the best of all possible passings, and this
realization is the best medicine to help you experience closure and to
be comforted.
If I can claim to have been an instrument in this
process, then I can say that this alone has made my life worth living.
Love
and Peace be with you,
Your
brother, Robert
