Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before Us

Bible reading next to Emily’s grave.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

November 1st and 2nd are for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day celebration in the Catholic tradition (learn more). These are days set aside to thank the Lord for the saints who spread His amazing gospel that has echoed through time until now as well as loved ones who have passed into eternity. It’s a time a remembrance and thanksgiving. Write a list out of the names of all those who have gone before you and brought you to Christ or made you stronger in Him.

This time is also a time where people take their own mortality into consideration. Last year on this same day, Emily wrote her last entry about this important time for Catholics, not knowing that she would join those she loved and cherished that had gone before her. She had prepared herself for so long and really believed in the fact that “this world’s our ship and not our home” (St. Therese).

Please take a moment to read her words from last year to understand a bit more about these celebrations and maybe consider getting her book, Living Memento Mori, as well since it’s a great book on life, death, and self reflection.

To end this, here is a short excerpt from a song called “Death Be Not Proud” by a band called Attalus that really sums up how we all should look at death in the reality of the work Christ completed on the cross for us. The work that all those before us, including Emily herself, believed so completely in and shared boldly (may we all obtain such courage for the sake of other’s coming to the faith). We don’t have to be afraid of our end here on earth when we have confidence in what lies ahead in our eternity.

“Dates on a stone
Oh, they're just an alibi
A simple line
It can't sum up my life
Beneath the tears
The wreaths, the letters, and the roses
God composes a new life
As the old one decomposes

So come on death, I've got your dues
Take them any way you choose
And shake the heavens with your smile
If my bones are worth your while
But this coffin's just a womb
Thanks to the cross and empty tomb
My God will get the final laugh
Death, here He comes - your epitaph!”

And finally, a bonus throwback photo of Emily and her siblings during Halloween in the 90s!

A throwback photo of Emily and her siblings during Halloween in the 90s with costumes on.

Special Edition: Reflection from Aunt Mary 📝

The following is from a wonderful Daily Gospel Reflection (run by the University of Notre Dame) that Emily’s Aunt Mary wrote on July 24th. She loved Emily dearly and was greatly inspired by her journey (and continues to love her still even in parting for the rest of this earthly life). Be blessed by her reflection on faithfulness.

In addition, there is an archive for other Daily Gospel Reflections from former ND Alumni as well as daily reflections in audio form.

Reflection

Mary Heilmann Becker ’87
ND Parent

My niece Emily DeArdo died at age 41 on New Year’s Eve 2023—a day she had long contemplated and prepared for.

“I’ve never doubted my faith,” Emily wrote. “But did I have courage? Did I trust Jesus? … That’s the slow-growing bloom of faith. Faith is the seed. But courage and trust? That’s the result of a lot of dark nights and lots of tears.”

Jesus asks us to have that bloom of faith in today’s gospel reading, and it was the essence of Emily. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 11 and given a projected life expectancy of 30 years, Emily could have had her faith snatched away by the birds of bitterness before it took root. Or, having survived this devastating diagnosis, Emily’s faith could have been scorched or choked by the medical trials she endured over the years—the near-fatal bout of tuberculosis, the double lung transplant, and the loss of her hearing.

But Emily proved to be rich soil that produced a fruitful, faithful life. She lived exuberantly, with courage and trust in God. She competed on “Jeopardy!” as the show’s first cochlear implant recipient, blazing a path for others to follow. She wrote the book Living Memento Mori: My Journey Through the Stations of the Cross, published by Ave Maria Press in 2019, explaining how her faith guided her through many challenges and offering inspiration to readers struggling with their own crosses.

“We wait for the second coming of Christ—we wait for our own resurrection,” Emily wrote. “And as we do this, we show the world that even when God appears silent, we will still love him. We will still follow him. We will still be faithful as we wait.”

Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Matthew 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Writing Updates--May 11, 2015

The latest updates from the office:

• First, I'd like to state that, as much as I love the new baby princess's name, I named my royal character Charlotte years before she was born (The Gift of Snow). So when the novel comes out, don't be thinking I stole her name, guys. ;-)
• Blog: The blog has its own tab here (look up--it's the furthest right), but if you want blogging posts when they're published, please go over there and subscribe. Here's what I wrote about last week: How to handle life's curveballs; knitting and reading. Two weeks ago, I had a post about books you need to read before you die, so if you're looking for some summer reading, I've taken care of it for you!
• Some of you have been asking about excerpts of the novels. I'm in the process of working on finding good sections and I will post those under the "excerpt" pages, above (they're currently empty). I'll update you when there is something there!
• I'm doing major revisions to The Undesirables. When I first wrote it, my objective was basically to get a beginning, a middle, and an end in 50,000 words for NaNo. To do that, I wrote quickly and skimmed over some pretty large plot developments. Now I'm going back and filling all of those empty spaces in, and I'm having a ball.
• As a gift for subscribing to the page, I've sent y'all a copy of Pilate's Wife. If you did not get it--or are a Wordpress Subscriber, in which case you didn't get an email because I don't have your email--please let me know so I can send you a copy. I want to make sure everyone who wants to read it can!