Remembering Wilson A. García Arango
A reflection presented at his memorial service, on April 29, 2017, at North Shore Spanish
Baptist Church, in Chicago, based on Psalm 42 and Matthew 11:25-30.
by Magdalena I. García
Wilson A. García Arango
3/14/1962 - 3/25/3017
Photo courtesy of Carlos A. García Arango
Good Friday Festivities
On Good Friday, I went to my mom’s house
for dinner, to mark what would have been my father’s 86th birthday. That
evening, the Univision network aired a special program titled “Viernes Santo,
Viernes de Esperanza” (“Holy Friday, Hopeful Friday”), covering the major religious
events live from four cities: Jerusalem, Vatican City, Mexico, and Spain.
There were many glorious moments during
the rites and liturgies, but I was especially touched by Seville’s procession with
the Virgin of Macarena, who is commonly considered the patroness of Spanish bullfighters
and gypsies. Contrary to what we might think, the image of the virgin does not
process on a float, she’s not on wheels, but rather on a platform that rests on
the backs of faithful members of the Brotherhood of La Macarena.
During the TV special they interviewed a
young man who is a native of Seville, a member of the Brotherhood, and a
reporter, and he spoke with great pride about the privilege and the pain of
carrying La Macarena on his back. He described how the carriers trained for
weeks, in order to build up strength and endurance, to walk for hours, hunched
over, carrying the weight of the image of the virgin on their necks and upper
backs. And he talked about how despite the burden, he used the time to reflect
and to meditate, so that the experience offered him renewed energy and
inspiration.
Wilson’s Burden
Today we are gathered here to remember
and to celebrate the life of a young man—Wilson García—a beloved son, brother,
uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, who for five long years carried a tremendously
heavy burden. At the age of 50 Wilson
was diagnosed with cancer, and from that point on he carried the weight of an
illness that robbed him not only of his physical health, but also of relationships,
employment, assets, independence.
I remember speaking with Wilson over the
years, and hearing him describe all that he had lost, all that he had given up,
and how the words of Psalm 42 rang true in his life:
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me continually,
“Where is your God?”
And I remember simply listening to him, acknowledging
his multiple losses, validating his pain, and assuring him that illness is not
a punishment. As the prominent author Rabbi Harold Kushner affirms in his
classic book on the problem of evil: “bad things indeed happen to good people,”
and we have to look no further than the book of Job.
Wilson’s Strength
But I also remember how time after time,
despite the burden and the pain caused by the illness, the losses, and the treatments,
Wilson bounced back, and recovered his strength, his joy, and his peace. And I
know that he was able to endure so much because he knew that he was not
carrying his burden and his pain alone. He was sustained by his great faith in
God, the faith that he learned from his family, and that was nurtured by multiple
faith communities, and he was sustained by God’s Word.
Wilson wholeheartedly embraced the
invitation extended by Jesus that we find in today’s reading from the Gospel of
Matthew, chapter 11:
“Come
to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.”
Like the young man in the procession of
La Macarena, Wilson carried his burden with great dignity and faith, and the
experience also offered him renewed energy and inspiration.
Wilson’s Pillars
But if truth be told, Wilson was not
only supported by his faith. Like the Macarena, over the past five years Wilson
travelled on the shoulders of a loving community of support. And the principal
carriers or “cargadores” were his mother, his brother Carlos, and his sister
Gloria. And the three of them were, in turn, supported by an extensive and
expansive community of relatives and friends.
Wilson was able to carry his burden with
great dignity and faith because he was well supported by the pillars of faith
and family. Without those two supports, without those two pillars, we would
have succumbed to hopelessness.
Wilson’s Legacy
There is a song, a cheerful cumbia, by the
great Colombian composer Crescencio Salcedo Monroy, which many of us know by
heart. It is titled “El año viejo”, and it says (more or less):
“I don’t forget the old year,
because it has left me many good things.
Oh, I don’t forget the old year,
because it has left me many good things:
like a goat, a black donkey, a white
mare,
and a nice mother-in-law.”
“Yo no olvido al año viejo,
porque me ha dejado cosas muy buenas.
Ay, yo no olvido al año viejo,
porque me ha dejado cosas muy buenas.
Me dejó una chiva, una burra negra,
una
yegua blanca y una buena suegra”.
Likewise, we will never forget Wilson, because
he has left us many good things. He was a graphic artist who left behind boxes
of art supplies. He was a sharp dresser who left behind nice outfits, hats, and
shoes. I inherited from Wilson a pair of shoes which I was tempted to wear
today, but I know the Garcia Arango family are accomplished fashionistas, and
even Wilson would not approve of me wearing avocado-green, suede gym shoes for
his memorial service.
But as I reflected on Wilson’s legacy, I
realized that the most important thing he left us was his example. Even as
Wilson was nearing death, his room at the hospital was filled with visitors, cards,
plants and empanadas, but beyond that, it was filled with his warm smile, his contagious
joy, and his peaceful spirit. The nurses at the hospital all wanted to care for
him. Wilson indeed left a large foot print, big shoes to fill.
May God grant us—all of us—the grace, to
face life’s trials and to carry life’s burdens, with similar strength, joy and
peace. May God grant us—all of us—the willingness, to be carriers or
“cargadores” for those around us who are facing trials and burdens, knowing all too well that some day we will also need carriers or
“cargadores” ourselves. May we also
process through life being faithful witnesses to God’s constant love and care.
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