"A voice was heard in Rama, Rachael bewailing her children
. . . and she would not be comforted, for they were no more"
(Matthew 2:18 [Jeremiah 31:15] Feast of the Holy Innocents)
. . . and she would not be comforted, for they were no more"
(Matthew 2:18 [Jeremiah 31:15] Feast of the Holy Innocents)
--84 y.o. female, former home-maker, organizer of Catholilc Daughters for 32 years in her parish, widow, resident in a nursing home: “Where did my Church go?”
--82 y.o. female, former social worker, secondary diagnosis of dementia, never married: “I’d like to go to confession; I guess they don’t do that anymore.”
--Daughter of female resident in a nursing home: “I’m Baptist, but my mother is Catholic; they think she’s going to die today. They said the priest told them to call another ‘parish’ because she’s not in his ‘parish’ . . . what does that mean?”
--90 y.o. male resident in assisted living, member of his parish choir for 40 years: “It would be nice to go to Mass more often; I guess they don’t have a ‘visitation policy’.”
--85 y.o. female, former home-maker and nurse, widow, mother of an only child (deceased), resident in a nursing home: “I’ve learned to live without the Church . . . I guess this is my Church now.”
These are just some of the voices that I hear as a chaplain in a long-term care environment. I know that there is so much to do in the Church today: the ordinary person in the pew needs evangelizing (indeed, what is baptism for nowdays?) and clergy need educating.
While we wait . . .
"Then he will say to those at his left hand,
'You that are accursed, depart from me . . .
for I was hungry and you gave me no food,
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not give me clothing,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
Then they also will answer,
'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not take care of you?'
Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you,
just as you did not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.'
And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life"
(Matthew 23:41-46).
And . . .
for I was hungry and you gave me no food,
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not give me clothing,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
Then they also will answer,
'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not take care of you?'
Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you,
just as you did not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.'
And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life"
(Matthew 23:41-46).
And . . .
The Pontifical Council for the Laity (1998) in
The Dignity of Older People,
(Caring for older people living in public
or private residential structures):
"The uprooting of older people from their natural families
would be less traumatic if the community
were to maintain links with them.
The parish community, 'family of families',
must turn itself into a 'diaconia'
at the service of older people and their problems.
It must also seek to co-operate with the authorities
responsible for running such residential homes
with a view to finding appropriate ways
to ensure the involvement of the volunteer services,
the provision of cultural activities and religious service.
The latter must ensure that older people are able to be nourished by the Eucharist" (Par. 19).
"To accompany older people, to approach them and enter into relation with them, is the duty of us all" (Ibid., Conclusion).
The Dignity of Older People,
(Caring for older people living in public
or private residential structures):
"The uprooting of older people from their natural families
would be less traumatic if the community
were to maintain links with them.
The parish community, 'family of families',
must turn itself into a 'diaconia'
at the service of older people and their problems.
It must also seek to co-operate with the authorities
responsible for running such residential homes
with a view to finding appropriate ways
to ensure the involvement of the volunteer services,
the provision of cultural activities and religious service.
The latter must ensure that older people are able to be nourished by the Eucharist" (Par. 19).
"To accompany older people, to approach them and enter into relation with them, is the duty of us all" (Ibid., Conclusion).
As with Scripture, so with the words of man: they seem to be open to interpretation.
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