Linda Matarese has been a Sister in the Lord, and a close friend since
our first acquaintance in 1982. It is a great joy and privilege to welcome her
to our Board of Intercessors; fitting indeed!
Linda was born in 1951, as the first child of Frank and Jean Matarese,
who resided at Burlington, New Jersey. Hers was a very religious family in which
great emphasis was placed on home, family, and church. Linda achieved well in
Parochial School, and as part of her religious upbringing, she attended early Mass every morning, on her way to the adjacent
school.
In her young heart, grew a love and devotion for the Lord Jesus, and for
all things pertaining to the Church. She especially loved and appreciated the
Sisters who were so devoted and in earnest concerning their vocations. As time
went on, she began to be aware of a growing desire within, to in some way be of service to her Lord.
At age thirteen, she was sent to a convent as an Aspirant to the Sisterhood. While this proved to be a meaningful experience in her life, she has described this
period to have been more like a “boot-camp,” than a spiritual training ground!
She says this most respectfully, because there were many valuable lessons learned, while there. At the convent, there were eighty-four nuns and nearly as many Aspirants in residence.
One anecdotal reference, was the occasion in which the Mother Superior
(who had been training the Aspirants to sew) handed Linda a great arm-full of black cloth, along with a pattern. Linda of course was expected at this stage of her seamstress-training, to be able to fully follow the instructions
of the pattern, and thusly create an impeccably sewn “habit.”
Linda went to work, and that old “Singer” was clattering at
high speed: Everything seemed to be going together like the pieces of a great cloth puzzle.
She was amazed at how well she could sew, and with such rapidity. Finally,
the deed was done, and she called for the Mother Superior, “Oh, Mother, I am so proud!
I have finished this habit sooner than anyone else in my class! Isn’t
it beautiful?” (She noticed a certain incredulous look upon the Mother’s
face.) “But Linda, what are all those other pieces?” To which Linda gave a girlish giggle, and with perfect sincerity, answered, “You know, Mother, I
was wondering the same thing! I guess they’re just some extra pieces left
over, but I can’t figure out why.” The Mother Superior seemed to
be working very hard to suppress a smile. She answered in a kindly voice, “Linda,
my dear, I can’t believe that you could have so beautifully sewn the habit in such a short space of time, but perhaps
you did sew a little too quickly, and didn’t take time to properly read the instructions, and follow the pattern! You see, dear, those ‘extra pieces’ are actually parts of the habit, which
you failed to sew into place.” Well, yes, you guessed it . . . back to
the old “Singer,” but this time, with less speed and more attention to details.
While Linda enjoyed her time in the convent, she began to realize that
she could not commit the rest of her life to such a rigid lifestyle. Yet, she
did desire to be of service to her Lord and to His people, and she had a very real desire to teach children. Linda had always known a great love and compassion for those less fortunate, and especially for those who
were either physically or mentally impaired. From her earliest childhood memories
(when other children would be mocking and poking fun at some poor, crippled child, or one who was slow, or perhaps retarded:
Perhaps one less attractive, poorly dressed or of a different race); Linda would rise to the occasion and run to the
defense of the one being taunted and tormented. Such has been her mind-set
and heart-response throughout her life!
After graduating from High School, with high honors, Linda enrolled in
Teacher’s College; where she excelled equally as well. After earning a
Master’s Degree in Special Education, she began to teach in Public Schools in Burlington County, New Jersey. With this new found door of expression, she began to realize her lifelong dream of being able to reach
out and help the less fortunate. (Her Lord Jesus had opened for her a door of
expression, and Linda was in turn, opening for the precious lives under her tutelage, a door of hope!) Ms. Matarese was held in highest regard, and lauded as one of the finest “Special-Ed. Teachers,”
ever to serve upon the faculties of the various schools in which she taught.
Linda married, and was blessed with two beautiful children, a son and a
daughter, whom she raised at her knee, to know and love Jesus Christ. Both accepted
Christ at a very early age. (It is Linda’s greatest desire and the deepest
cry of her heart for her children to come into the full plan and purpose of God for their lives. She would be thankful beyond words for the prayers of everyone who shall read this, wheresoever you may
be in this great wide world, for her dear children, both of whom were called and anointed in early childhood.)
Life for Linda and her close-knit little family seemed very good, and she
was happy and fulfilled, as a wife and mother, as well as with her profession. Dark
clouds, however, were slowly; almost imperceptibly; beginning to loom upon the horizon of her life! Distant, muffled “rumblings of thunder” began to be noticeable; slowly at the first, but incrementally
becoming more and more persistent in making their presence known!
Suddenly! Unexpectedly and without warning; this beautiful young mother,
in the prime of her womanhood, was stricken down with Lupus Erythematosus! Linda
continued to teach and to give her very best for her family as always, but her strength was becoming more and more compromised
by this mysterious disease; which even her Physicians were remiss to clearly explain or diagnose! (It seemed everything was shrouded in mystery and cloaked in medical jargon.)
Then, as suddenly and unexpectedly as the first blow, came a second, when
her marriage quickly unraveled before her very eyes! There were days when Linda
thought she could not go on; days when she did not want to live; yet, because of her great love for God and for her
children, she forged ever on; even amidst the most inexplicable pain and suffering!
Many times, she would spend her entire lunch period lying atop her classroom desk, in order to gain strength for the
rest of the day. Still, Doctors seemingly could do nothing significant to help
her. As the woman referred to in Mark 5:25-26, Linda has: “suffered
many things of many physicians!”
During this most troublous time, there had been appointed to her, a Teacher’s
Aid in whom she saw something beyond her comprehension or understanding: She saw in this lady a depth and degree of the Divine,
which she thought impossible to be experienced in this life! Little by little,
she began to inquire of the woman concerning her life, and of her belief system. She
learned that the woman was a born-again Believer, who had received the Baptism into the Holy Spirit, as they did on
the Day of Pentecost, two millennia ago, according to the Second Chapter of Acts.
With things growing worse day by day, Linda began praying and calling out
to God as never before! During this time, her next-door neighbors were a dear
old Mother in the Gospel (Ora Halcomb) and her daughter (Eunice Ramsey), who was a great Prayer Warrior and Intercessor. They had been praying unceasingly for Linda, and dropping a “word in season,”
now and then; believing for God to “give the increase.”
After one especially difficult week, Linda was pressed into God as never
before! She seemed trapped, with nowhere to go!
It seemed that no one truly understood her situation! Gnawing fears, and
the dread of an uncertain future, tormented her day and night! Something must
be done! She could not go on like this!
She must meet God!
After getting her little darlings tucked into bed, one night; she went
down to her kitchen, and fell upon the floor, where she wept and prayed through, to a new and glorious consecration to the
Lord! (That old kitchen floor became for her a sacred and sanctified ground;
a “Bethel,” where in those early days of her Pentecostal experience, she would spend many hours in deep intercession
and prayer, and in waiting before the Lord.) She had loved her Lord Jesus from
childhood, and was aware of a special touch of God upon her life from the time of her first Holy Communion, but marvelous
as that had been, this new experience, carried her deeper and further than ever before, into the love of Jesus Christ! She wrestled there with God for hours! She
pressed-in, and prayed more earnestly, until a great, overshadowing presence enveloped her!
It seemed that though she remained conscious, she was somehow being transported out of herself and into another dimension! Suddenly, she heard herself speaking out loudly and clearly in a language with which
she was completely unfamiliar! (Her Teacher’s Aid had explained in measure,
such an experience, but Linda was in no way prepared for what she experienced in that kitchen.
HALLELUJAH ! ! !)
From that very moment, her life took on new meaning and purpose! Linda was not healed at that time, but she seemed to receive a great infusion of strength, which enabled
her to carry on her daily duties of life nearly as easily and naturally as before her illness.
Everyone around her became aware that something had happened! It was more
than obvious that Linda was a new person! Understandably, it took some time to
explain all of this to those unaccustomed to such, but as family and friends observed her life, they saw her as a sincere
and caring soul, whose great love and devotion to Christ, seemed to be increased ten-fold.
Thusly, they had to take notice and acknowledge: “Linda has something that we need!”
As a result of her godly witness and uncompromising testimony, her parents
and two sisters accepted Jesus, as Lord! In later years, her brothers did likewise,
as did others of her relatives, and many of her friends and associates.
Ora Halcomb’s son, affectionately known as “Brother Lew,”
was at that time serving as Pastor of a fledgling congregation, in Riverside, New Jersey.
Soon, Linda and her children would find themselves welcomed into the fellowship of this blessed church family, wherein
she would serve and minister for the following twenty years. Linda’s main
ministry, as to be expected, was amongst the children. She proved to be an excellent
Sunday School Teacher, mentor, and “Surrogate-Mom” to these kids, who loved her very dearly! Linda was also specially gifted, in teaching these little ones to pray extemporaneously from their hearts. She also prayed over them and blessed them through the gift of intercession, with
the laying on of hands, as was practiced in the Early Church. Many marvelous
results were evidenced as a result of her years of faithful ministry there.
From the very beginning, Linda had a desire to help! (“What can I do for Jesus? . . . Tell me, what can I do to be of help? . . . How can I bless God’s
people? . . . How can I bless my church?”) Such is the excellent spirit
and Servant’s heart, which Linda possesses unto this very day! The Lord
Jesus, early-on, led her to open her home unto the Body of Christ, as a sort of “hospitality-center” unto visiting
ministry to the church. That was how it began, but our Lord saw a willing vessel,
with a willing heart, and a desire to serve; so in His great wisdom, He began sending souls to her, who were very needy; shattered
souls; sick and diseased souls; lonely and forsaken souls!
Linda seemed never to tire of helping these folk! (Somehow there was room always, for one more!) The refrigerator
and cupboards were never empty! All of this was miraculous, seeing as
she simply did not have the money required to carry on this ministry of love and charity, unto the needy and the hurting! Yet, it went on, and on, and on, for twenty years; until her strength was completely
depleted, and Doctors had given-up any hope of being able to help her further!
I have been privileged along with other ministers, to many times over the
years be entertained as a guest in Linda’s home. Chapters could be written
concerning the great love and care which this dear sister has unselfishly lavished upon our Lord’s people, for nearly
three decades! Yes, chapters, even volumes, could never even begin to express
the half! Nothing was ever too much trouble!
Nothing was too big a task! Nothing was too costly, nor expensive, for
her brothers and sisters in Christ!
I will not engage upon any
attempt at presenting a treatise upon this unfathomable subject! To do so would
be impossible! Suffice to say that I have personally witnessed times when some
of us found it necessary to demand that she cease and desist, and stand-down, from so overwhelming a burden of caring for
so many, when she herself was at times, barely able to walk! At such times, she
would yield gracefully, but usually sit in a chair or at the table, and just weep and weep, because she felt she was not
doing enough! If ever I have seen a manifestation of “godly servanthood,”
I have seen it exemplified in Linda Matarese!
Upon embarkation from her home, it was customary for her to bring boxes
and bags of food; delicious home-baked delicacies; sandwiches; “munchies” of every kind and description: Exquisite
candies; juices; cheeses; bottled water; napkins; paper goods; plastic flatware; even writing tablets and pens; etc., etc.
(you name it)! Why was this done? Because
our dear sister was concerned that her friends and brethren would have enough food for their trip, home! (Words fail me! My heart is deeply moved!)
Mention must be made also of the great benevolence of her dear father and
mother, and of her sisters, Gloria and Veronica, who also assisted in her great ministry of giving! I have seen “Dad and Mom Matarese” many times, deliver station wagons filled with food, and
the most delicious cooked delicacies (fit for a king) to be enjoyed by folk they barely knew, or in some cases, had never
met! Their degree of love and concern was noble, and far beyond their call
of duty! I have been privileged to know them well enough to understand that
their benevolence was not only to assist their daughter in her ministry, but also was performed out of a deep and sincere
love within their own hearts, and a desire to do good and to help others!
Our beloved Father in the Faith, Gustav Hoyer, was a frequent guest in
Linda’s home, and kept in close fellowship with her until his home-going, at nearly one hundred years of age. He often reflected upon the same sentiments as expressed above, and often wept, upon witnessing her degree
of kindly servitude unto the Body of Christ! Linda has had always a great love
and appreciation for the Word of God, and for the Deeper Realms of the Holy oHSpirit! She and others in her home, including guests, would often sit as “hungry little
lambs,” (with their Bibles, notebooks, and pens in hand); at the feet of Brother Hoyer, where he would teach and expound
unto them the Word of God, at times for hours! Oh! How can ever one forget such sacred, holy scenes, which bloom still, in the garden of memories?
It was in early 2002, that our Lord, by His strange and omniscient design,
orchestrated for Linda to move to North Carolina, where some of her family had relocated.
There, in a bucolic locale, known as “Wesley Chapel,” our Lord has blessed her with a beautiful home, and
a new life.
This dear sister has suffered possibly more than anyone ever I have known! It would not be her desire for such matters to be spoken of, but I feel that I must
take the liberty to at least explain her condition, and to request prayer in her behalf!
An early Physician prescribed for her, high powered steroids, to combat the Lupus; never informing her of the long-range
ramifications. After having been administered these steroids, for nearly twenty
years; she learned from a new Physician, that it was only a miracle, she was yet alive!
Only a miracle, that such a high dosage, for so long a period, had not killed her!
(At this juncture, the prescribing Physician had recently expired!)
Without going into great detail, suffice to say that Doctors over the past
twenty-eight years, have given-up on Linda, time and time again: Hospitalization after hospitalization! “No hope, no cure, nothing we can do.”
It is one of the most amazing testimonies ever I have known! I have personally seen her brought down to death’s door, again and again; only to be raised-up miraculously
by the Mighty Nail-Pierced Hand of Jesus Christ! This has been a wonderment,
and an amazement, to Doctors, and Specialists in numerous hospitals! They have
no answer for this! They just throw their hands up, and shake their heads! It is the power of God that keeps our dear sister alive, and the precious
name of Jesus Christ, which keeps her going for Him! May Jesus Christ
be praised!
PLEASE HOLD OUR DEAR SISTER BEFORE THE LORD, IN YOUR DAILY PRAYERS! THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU, EVERYONE ! ! !
Linda now resides with her husband, Paul, and her beloved Dad, who is ninety-two
years old, and still going strong! He has suffered serious heart problems for
years, and has been given-up as a hopeless case, but prayer and faith have kept him going, most amazingly! As with Linda,
Dad Matarese has become a consternation and disbelief to the Medical Profession! He
remains physically active; mows the grass; does chores; and rarely takes a break for rest.
Only recently he had to be dissuaded from tackling a large building project!
Ha! Praise the Lord! Sounds
to me like God is at work, here! Amen!
Linda, we welcome you with the sincerest and most heartfelt appreciation for all
you have been, and still are unto the Body of Christ! Though you are careful
to do your alms and good deeds in secret, may this be perhaps just a small harbinger of the great reward which you will receive
openly, in the presence of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ; His Holy Angels; and all who shall there be gathered; some day up
yonder, on that bright, golden shore!
