Michele Embodied the Beatitude
There is one beatitude that speaks to the mood today. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” We come mourning the death of Michele. We come to lay claim to the promise of Jesus, “For they shall be comforted.” (see Mt 5:1-12)
There is one beatitude that speaks about Michele. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” In all of the many ways Michele made a difference in the lives of others, there is little doubt that this stemmed from a pure heart. We come to lay claim to the promise of Jesus, for “she shall see the face of God.”
I want to share ways I saw Michele’s pure heart. As you grieve her death, I invite you to think of the ways you have seen the same, draw confidence from the promise of Jesus, “she shall see God,” and the promise that those “who mourn will be comforted.”
Pure of Heart – Genuine Encouragement
A person with a pure heart offers genuine encouragement. I’ve known Michele since I was a young deacon, about 20 years ago. As I was working out my preaching style, she was always encouraging. Always I’d get a smile and some word of encouragement. I preached a homily where I referenced a Far Side comic. If you’re not familiar with the Far Side comics , it can be a little weird and dark. It fit the message, but I wasn’t sure anyone got the connection. Michele, after Mass, came to me and said, “Far Side. I love it! Thanks.”
I could tell her encouragement wasn’t superficial, but genuine. This encouragement came from a pure heart.
Prison visits – Gets to Know People.
A person with a pure heart likes to get to know others and maybe learn from them. I saw this from Michele in prison, one of the many interesting places Michele had visited. I had gotten approval to bring a few people to do a holiday dinner for a cell block , which is 100 inmates, at Alexander Correctional Institution. This is a maximum security prison in Taylorsville. Michele got wind of this and said she wanted to come. I was able to add her name to the list. I said, “We’ve got all of the food covered, so you can bring anything you like.” “What would they like?” I said, “Everything they eat is not fresh, not nutritious, not tasty, and cheap. Maybe something different. She brought a couple of baskets of some amazing fruit she ordered from California. Instead of their usual fare, they got fresh, nutritious, tasty, and probably not cheap. Typical Michele, caring enough to offer the best.
As the other volunteers were staying behind their serving tables, Michele was talking to a few inmates who worked in the kitchen. I stood close. They told her they wouldn’t be able to bring any of the fruit back to the cell block. Michele asked, “Why?” One responded, “Because they think we’ll use it to make hooch.” “What is hooch?” The three inmates went on to describe that it’s an alcoholic beverage you make in prison, with fruit, yeast, sugar. “The candy over there could be the sugar. The rolls could provide the yeast. And there’s your fruit. You just put it all in a sealed bag and put it in the toilet for a few days.” Michele, always the encourager, said, “That’s good to know.”
Takes a personal interest
A person with a pure heart will also take to heart the words we heard in the second reading, “We do not live to ourselves… If we live, we live to the Lord. And if we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom 14:7)
A person that has a pure heart doesn’t just want to be generous from a distance, but wants to engage with others and take a deep dive into what their lives. When I needed furniture for a retreat house at the Catholic Conference and Retreat Center and asked Michele if she had anything she could donate, she just didn’t send us a couch. She came out, interviewed us about what we needed, took measurements and color samples, and transformed an old retreat house into something we were proud to list on VRBO.
I could go on, but I am sure you have many examples of Michele’s pure, joyful, and generous heart.
What’s it like?
Let me finish with a dream I had. At the risk of sounding a little weird, Michele appeared in a dream I had the night before she died. I rarely dream and hadn’t thought about Michele in a long time, and she had never appeared in any of my dreams. We were in a gym. She was talking to someone I used to work with. She turned to me and asked, “What’s it like?” I thought she was asking about my retirement since I just left my job at the Catholic Conference Center. She walked away puzzled and disappointed. I was confused about her reaction. The next morning I realized she wasn’t asking about my retirement. She was asking about what’s heaven like, or what is the kingdom of God like. I do a lot of spiritual direction, so my interpretation before I heard about the death was that I needed to stop talking about myself and help people see the kingdom unfolding in their lives.
Then I heard about the tragic death. It certainly added some gravitas to that question, “What’s it like?” What is a new heaven and new earth going to be like, totally redeemed and renewed, where people live their lives as God intended for Adam and Eve.
It’s a question that resonates in the deepest part of our souls. “What’s it like?” Michele provided the question in my dream. Her life, and the life we are remembering today, has also provided the answer. Michele showed us what happens when a person with pure heart enters a broken world. The fruit of the spirit abounds in love, joy, peace, patience kindness, generosity. Healing. Restoration. Renovation. Renewal. Joy.
In the First Reading, John said, Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.” (1 Jn 3:1)
I think Michele’s pure heart gave us a glimpse of what has not yet been fully revealed.
Her life is also a challenge to us. Each in our way, we are to go into a broken world, and through our encouragement, generosity, and purity of heart, show them the answer to this question: What’s it like?
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” May Michele McCreary be counted among the blessed, indeed.