By his father former President Charles G. Taylor
“On the Occasion of the Loss of My Beloved Son, Philip Neilson Charles Taylor
As we gather here today to celebrate the life of my son, Philip Neilson Charles Taylor, let us begin with thanksgiving and blessing to the Most High God — the King of the Universe — the Righteous Judge who is true and perfect in all His works.
For all His ways are justice. He is a God of faithfulness, without iniquity, righteous and fair, and we thank Him for the blessings He bestowed upon Philip during his sojourn on this earth.
Now, let us bless the Lord our God.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe.
I thank You, the God of my forefathers, forever and ever.
You are the Rock of my life and the Shield of my salvation from generation to generation.
You are the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
You give us life, and You uphold us to continue to do Your will and to serve You wholeheartedly.
Amen and Amen.
Philip… Philip…
Your father cannot be here today to say goodbye to you personally as you journey onward to your eternal home.
But he has sent your sister, Charen Zally, to read these words so that you may know what is in his heart:
My son, I love you.
There were rocky and difficult steps along the way, but life itself is a battle. As you travel on, let not your soul be troubled. Your mother and I now release you into the infinite mercy and perfect will of the Lord God.
We forgive you for any time you may have angered us or sinned against us — whether against our property, our honor, or in any way — whether accidentally, carelessly, or intentionally; whether through speech, deed, thought, or intention; whether in this life or beyond. We forgive you fully.
May it be the will of the Lord our God and the God of our forefathers that whatever sins you may have committed before Him, may He, in His great mercy, forgive you, cleanse you, and receive your soul in peace.
O God our Father, we plead that You blot out his transgressions in Your abundant mercies, and not through suffering as he journeys to Your eternal kingdom.
Amen.
Philip, our dearly beloved son, was a blessed young man.
His father, Dr. Charles Ghankay Taylor, served as President of this glorious and blessed nation and His mother, Honorable Jewel Howard-Taylor, also served as Vice President at a different period, with great honor and distinction.
We bless God that Philip was given to us for a season and has now been summoned home to be with Him.
He is in a better place.
And so, we are not here today to mourn without hope.
I do not question the quality of the judgment of Almighty God.
Who can say to God, “What are You doing?”
No one.
For God alone rules above and below.
He gives life and permits death; He brings down to the grave and raises up.
O Most High God, You are righteous.
You gave Philip to us, and You have taken him back. Blessed be Your holy name.
With righteousness in Your right hand and correction in Your left, You judge Your creation.
We accept Your judgment, for You are the Knower of all mysteries and the Keeper of all secrets.
And now, O God our Rock, we plead for mercy.
Do not set our iniquities before You.
O God, relent Your anger concerning us, Your servants.
Let not our trespasses bring separation between You and us.
Have mercy on the remnant of our family, the flock of Your hand.
And say to the angel of death, “Hold back your hand.”
O God, in Your infinite mercy, show us Your kindness, and do not erase our memory from before Your throne.
To You alone we give honor and glory, in Jesus’ precious name.
Amen.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this is not a sight any parent should ever have to see.
It is a very, very bitter pill to swallow.
This pain is deep.
It is personal.
My grief is sharper because of many variables surrounding this loss.
I know that perhaps millions of people — here at home, in the diaspora, and across our world — have experienced this kind of sudden flood of unanticipated emotion.
And though I am not easily moved to tears, I must admit that I am overcome with deep grief.
It hurts.
Yes, it truly hurts.
For parents are not meant to bury the fruit of their own loins.
It should be the other way around.
Yet God understands this mystery.
He is just. He knows best.
To our families, I say: let us celebrate his life, because God alone knows the absolute truth about His creation.
We, as human beings, understand only relative truth through our finite minds.
And perhaps more importantly, we must realize that Philip is not “dead,” but has been born into a new life with Almighty God.
Death, in its deepest sense, is not the end — even in the relative sense.
He is now journeying to higher planes of existence for ages upon ages.
The universe is our home, and before the end of time, we will explore its farthest reaches.
Even now, we dwell within the infinite mind of Almighty God, and our possibilities remain infinite — both in time and in space.
And at the end of the grand cycle of the ages, God will gather us unto Himself.
Then we shall know the whole truth — the truth of being at one with Him.
Philip will be there.
And we will meet again.
And I say to Jewel:
We loved Philip deeply, but God loved him more and has called him home.
Rest in your faith that it is well.
To Philip’s children, his brothers and sisters, his aunts, cousins, nieces, and all his extended family: I assure you that he is safe and protected with the Almighty — the Knower of All Mysteries.
In moments like this, we must examine ourselves in quiet retrospection.
Reflection is necessary as we try to understand this great mystery of life and death. As it is often said: the past is a statement; the future is a question.
In closing, on behalf of our bereaved families — all of them — and in my own name, I extend heartfelt thanks to the President of our nation, President Joseph Boakai and his family; members of his government; President Weah and former officials of government; bishops, pastors, deacons, laymen and laywomen; the Imam and members of the Muslim community; our chiefs, elders, zoes, and our ancient ancestors — the custodians of the land; and all the people of our unique Liberia, our “coat of many colors.”
We also thank nationals of foreign lands and members of the diplomatic community for their expressions of sympathy and condolences in this time of profound grief.
Shalom.
Rest in peace, Phil.
Rise in glory.
May flights of angels sing you to your rest.
Amen”.
