Putting God in the Driver’s Seat (Part 2 of 3):  Last week, I shared the tragic yet grace-filled story surrounding the death of Evan Battani, a 14-year-old member of my extended family.  If you missed last week’s article, 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.
 
Evan died in his sleep during the night of his 8th-grade graduation.  Evan went to his 8th-grade graduation, the subsequent class party and then over to his friend Josh’s house for an overnight with several of his buddies.  Evan and his buddies enjoyed all the evening festivities and once at Josh’s home, they played video games until 2:30 a.m.  Josh’s mom broke up the video game marathon and told the guys they had to get some sleep.  They did.  Most started to stir around 11 a.m., but Evan appeared to be sound asleep.  Josh’s mom told the guys to let Evan sleep because if he wasn’t getting up with all the noise they were creating, he was probably pretty exhausted.  At 2:30 p.m. they decided it was time to wake Evan and get on with the rest of the day.  Josh went to wake Evan, but he didn’t respond.  After yelling for his parents, they called 911.  Once emergency personnel arrived at the house, it was determined Evan died in his sleep.  The initial autopsy results came back inconclusive.  There appeared to be no signs of distress or heart related issues.  A week after the funeral, we got word that Evan died of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle as a result of a viral infection.
 
As I mentioned in last week’s article, the whole week of Evan’s funeral was filled with many grace-filled moments.  God’s presence could be felt every day.  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 on this journey.  Once you put God in the driver’s seat of any journey, you can accomplish amazing things.
 
With all the stories that were being shared, I quickly clued in on Evan’s emerging faith.  Evan was your normal 14-year-old but he had a special relationship with the Lord. For at least two years Evan often expressed a desire to get a scapular.  With the busyness of life and the fact they could never work out the enrollment liturgy that accompanies receiving a scapular, it wasn’t purchased.  Evan’s confirmation sponsor however, his Aunt Brenda, made it her goal as part of his confirmation a few weeks prior to his death to get him a scapular and to work out the enrollment details.  It’s not every day that a 14-year-old wants a scapular.  To be honest, most 14-year-olds wouldn’t even know what a scapular was!  So God was stirring the heart of this 14-year-old.
 
Another profound story that touched me was Evan’s recent intrigue with the book and movie Heaven is for Real.  I was told Evan watched the movie and read the book several times.  Heaven is for Real recounts the true story of a small-town father who shares his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.  His son Colton visited Heaven during a near death experience while undergoing emergency surgery at the age of three. Colton shares the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth, things he couldn't possibly know.  Colton also speaks about his first meeting with Jesus and being with Jesus while the angels sang to him.  He also spoke about seeing the Blessed Mother, at times standing beside Jesus and at other times kneeling before the throne of God the Father.  Hearing Evan’s recent intrigue with Heaven is for Real touched me in a profound way.  Again, it was obvious God was stirring the heart of this child and it was beautiful to realize that a 14-year-old was responding to these promptings of the Spirit working in and through his life.
 
On the day of visitation at Wujek-Calcaterra Funeral Home in Shelby Township, Evan’s parents and seven siblings were the first to enter the room.  I have always found this initial moment with a family to be most profound, especially when it involves being with the parents, siblings and grandparents of a young person.  It’s even more profound and a true privileged moment when you are the priest and it involves family.  Words cannot explain what it is like when you’re the family priest and you are entrusted with bringing the message of Christ to such a moment of pain and sorrow.  But as I noted last week, the task becomes easy and grace-filled because of the depth of faith of the family.  That depth of faith is what helped create the many “Upper Room” experiences I spoke of last week.
 
After Rick and Rene and their kids finished kneeling at the casket, the immediate task was to 1) fix Evan’s hair, 2) place his scapular on his body, and 3) make sure the Heaven is for Real book had a prominent spot in his casket.  You may laugh but it’s not too uncommon for a family to want adjustments made to the deceased’s hair.  With the help of the funeral director and a few laughs from his siblings, the proper hair adjustments were made!  Evan was particular about his hair and his family didn’t want to hear about this one for eternity!  The focus then turned to placing his scapular on his body for all to see.  Evan was serious about wearing his scapular and living his faith.  As such, Rick and Rene wanted all to see that scapular.  Equally important was the placement of the Heaven is for Real book.  Rene didn’t want the book tucked away near her son’s hands.  She wanted the book front and center for all to see.  As such, the book was propped up near Evan’s shoulder at the back end of the casket.  Believe me, there was a lot of evangelizing going on with the placement of the scapular and book!
 
God was in the driver’s seat of this kid’s life and the family wanted everyone to know about it!  These precious moments and the many “Upper Room” experiences surrounding Evan’s funeral also told me loud and clear that God would be in the driver’s seat of his family as they walked this painful journey.  I found myself saying over and over again, “Blessed be God.”
 
To be continued!
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
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