Putting God in the Driver’s Seat (Part 3 of 3): Over the last two weeks, I have been sharing the tragic yet grace-filled story surrounding the death of Evan Battani, a 14-year-old member of my extended family. If you haven’t been following the story, please look it up online by visiting our parish website at www.sjascs.org and click on the
Parish Bulletin button at the top of the page. The story began in the June 9 bulletin.
The whole week of Evan’s funeral was filled with many grace-filled moments. God’s presence could be felt every day. What the family was dealing with was tragic but it felt like we had gone on a retreat with the Lord and he was accompanying everyone on the journey; not as someone distant but as if he was holding our hands through it all. I felt like we ascended the mountain of God and were in God’s presence the whole week. That happened because Rick and Rene, Evan’s parents, made it clear that God would be in the driver’s seat of this journey. Once you put God in the driver’s seat of any journey, you can accomplish amazing things.
There was something beautiful at work in Evan’s life, possibly for the sole purpose of preparing him for the journey to the Kingdom of God at such a young age. Evan wore a scapular and took his faith very seriously. He was also intrigued by the book and movie,
Heaven is for Real. His own witness of faith led others to the Lord. Was Evan a saint? Ask his siblings; they would tell you the truth. He was your normal 14-year-old boy BUT he had a special relationship with the Lord. As I mentioned in my homily at his funeral, he was an aspiring saint!
At the Scripture Service the night before Evan’s funeral, I opened it up for others to tell stories or share thoughts. The packed funeral home went silent. No one stirred. One of his older brothers finally took the mic and talked about what it was like when he first heard the news. He mentioned that Evan was a sound sleeper. It would take a long time to get him out of bed in the morning. His brother mentioned he would sometimes take the blunt end of a pen and repeatedly poke him in the cheek to wake him up. His brother mentioned that his first thought when he heard the news that Evan died in his sleep was that they obviously didn’t try hard enough to wake him. The tears started to flow! There wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
Evan’s dad, Rick, then stood up to talk. After thanking everyone for all of their kind words and presence, Rick gave a most beautiful testimony that I wish I had recorded. Rick talked about the many emotions and thoughts that went through his mind the very moment and the hours after the Sheriff Deputies shared the news of his son’s death. He shared how he tried repeatedly to get angry and mad. He looked for every opportunity he could to get mad but he kept turning back to his faith and the emerging faith of his beautiful son and he quickly realized he had no reason to be mad or get angry. God had a plan. God graced them with 14 years with their beautiful son and their lives would be forever changed by that experience and journey. Rick also talked about how humbled he was to learn more about his son’s faith. He knew Evan was serious about his faith, but it wasn’t until after hearing more and more stories that it became increasingly evident how important that relationship with Christ was to Evan. In the day to day activities of a busy house with 8 children, you often have little time to focus on the fine details that were being talked about and which became a focal point since Evan’s death. Rick told the gathered crowd that his son’s own faith will cause him to spend more time increasing his own relationship with the Lord. As I listened to Rick talk, I remember just saying a pray of thanks to God for this witness of faith. We were in the Upper Room again … and Jesus was present.
It was also touching to learn about Evan’s love for his brothers and sisters. Rick and Rene and a couple of the younger kids had been on a vacation shortly before Evan’s death. While they were gone, Evan was found putting notes in the lunches of his younger brother Payton. “You are the coolest in the whole world … Evan,” one note read. It was noted by Payton’s teacher. She texted Rene while they were on their trip and said, “Payton has been doing wonderful all week! No worries at all. He has really enjoyed the kind notes his brother, Evan, has put in his lunches. He must be a great young man.” Yes, he was!
We celebrated Evan’s funeral at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 7
th at St. Cornelius Church in Dryden. The next day, Evan was buried in the small country Hough Road cemetery in Almont. The cemetery is on a dirt road within walking distance from Rick and Rene’s house. It was a beautiful Friday morning. Evan’s final resting place is in the back of the small cemetery overlooking a sprawling cornfield. There were probably a couple hundred people present for the burial. As the crowd was assembling, I huddled with Rick and Rene and prayed with them alone before we began this final act of Evan’s funeral. I encouraged them to hold fast to the final line I prayed at his funeral mass moments before his casket was incensed: “One day we shall joyfully greet Evan again, when the love of God which conquers all things destroys even death itself.” With that prayer and a few hugs and many tears, we walked over to the grave and laid Evan to rest. Evan’s encouraging notes to his brothers, his scapular, his wanting to serve around the altar of the Lord and his intrigue with the book and movie Heaven is for Real told us much about this aspiring teenage saint. He was a gift to his family. He was a gift to many. He was a gift from the Lord. We were in the Upper Room the whole week. I was confident God would continue to walk with and guide Evan’s family because of what we experienced and how we felt the very presence of Christ that week. Yes, how important it is to make sure God is always in the driver’s seat. What a lesson for us all! Rest in peace Evan. Blessed be God in all of his designs!