Wilfredo Cumba

Wilfredo Cumba I think these words of Jesus would describe him best. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5-3-5 He was a humble person, with a simple faith, and a simple life. He had no big plans for the future, no ideals, and no dreams to pursue. He was truly meek. The only thing was that he was deaf and mute. I do not want to belittle anyone with any kind of disability. Least of all I am not making little of Freddie’s handicap. But please just allow me to say this because Elba and I knew Freddie better than anyone. He lived with us, ate with us, traveled with us, went out with us. Someone told us recently that it was a shame Freddy did not get to live a normal life. What this person meant was that he couldn’t speak. He could not say how he felt, where it hurt, how much he loved. A disability indeed. Being able to speak is good, but how many of us get in trouble precisely with what we say? The Bible says this: James 3:2-10 “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” Freddy could not get in trouble by speaking. He could not hear either. He did not hear his mother’s voice saying I love you, he could not listen to music, he could not hear the sound of the rain, or the babies’ voices. A disability indeed. But at the same time, because he could not hear, he was oblivious to the many things that worry people to death nowadays. He could watch them on television but did not understand them. Being able to hear is good. However be careful of what you hear. Faith and Fear come by hearing. So I would say that because Freddy could not hear nor speak he was a man with no worries, no problems other than his health. He had his bad habits, his mischievousness when he was a child. But after his mother passed his health started going downhill. Then Octavio died and his emotional life started going downhill. That was a normal thing for anyone. Nevertheless I would dare say that in many ways he was fortunate not to have lived the so called “normal life.” A normal life is full of toils, worries, and concerns. Freddie had none of those. So today we say good bye to him. He touched our lives in many ways. He was special in many ways. And he would be missed in many ways as well. And father God, thank you for the lessons we all can learn from Freddy’s life. By human standards he might not have been much. But in your eyes he was precious, and special. We will miss him but we take comfort in hoping that you will now keep him under your wings In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Wilfredo Cumba

November 29, 1942 - March 15, 2018