Illness and Caring for the Sick - #10

My father will be 88 at his next birthday. He was once a vigorous and robust man. I can remember him doing the lawn, clipping hedges, and working double shifts in order to meet the costs of raising five children. Today Dad is homebound. Serious eye impairment and chronic arthritis cause him to move slowly and deliberately. It is painful to see his fragility and diminishment. Many other people face a similar situation with their parents. Despite an unprecedented prosperity for some in our country, many people increasingly struggle with aging, illness, and disability. Frequently children provide for the care of their parents. I admire the ways in which my sisters and brother tend to Dad. "The family and friends of the sick and those who take care of them in any way have a special share in the ministry of comfort...It is their task to strengthen the sick with words of faith and by praying with them, to commend them to the suffering and glorified Lord, and to encourage them to contribute to the well-being of the people of God by associating themselves willingly with Christ's passion and death (Pastoral Care, General Instruction #34)"

My Dad is a man of deep faith. He has always loved to participate actively and fully in the Eucharist. He really misses not being able to go to church. Instead he watches the Mass on television. Mary, one of our neighbors, visits Dad every Wednesday morning. She brings him communion. She does this ministry very well. She checks on how Dad is doing. She listens to him and gives him news about people and events in the parish. Mary keeps my Dad connected to the parish. She helps him to feel less isolated.

How to minister to the homebound is a real challenge for parish pastoral staffs. Once upon a time the responsibility for visiting the sick belonged to the priests alone. Now priests, deacons, eucharistic ministers and other pastoral agents share the responsibility for those confined to their homes and for those in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. "If one member suffers in the Body of Christ, which is the Church, all the members suffer with that member. For this reason, kindness shown toward the sick and works of charity and mutual help for the relief of every kind of human want are held in special honor. Every act of care for the sick, on the part of any person, maybe considered a preparation for the gospel and a sharing in Christ's healing ministry (Pastoral Care of the Sick, General Instruction #32)."

Our church provides rites for visiting sick adults and children, rites for communion and anointing. We are blessed with many ministers who can attend to the spiritual challenges of the sick. Sometimes the sick need a skillful listener when they tell their life-story or when they try to repair broken relationships. Some may need help in understanding where they stand before God or encouragement in facing their loss of control, pain and death. Ministers need to combine on-going training in listening , in getting advice on how to handle tough situation, and in handling their own sadness or mourning along with their own spiritual and moral development.