I recall, when in my mid-20s, that most of the attendees at daily Holy Mass were the retired with grey hair. I thought then, here were the truly faithful ones, sustaining the Church by their love of the Eucharist and their daily devotions, especially the Holy Rosary! Well, based on my experience at the nursing home yesterday, I have found that things haven't changed much. Let me share some examples. ________________________________ Evelyn has been in decline for some months, but her love for God is so great! About a month ago she expressed to me her disappointment. During the previous night she had been suffocating on phlegm when a nurse happened to pass by her room and notice. They quickly suctioned her throat to keep Evelyn alive. Her comment: "Here I was about to meet the Lord and they snatched me away. Why did they do that?" Yesterday, Evelyn had out on the serving table by her bed three sets of Rosary beads and a pile of prayer cards. When I asked how frequently she prays them, Evelyn said:"I pray probably 3-5 Rosaries a day and I pray the prayers on all these cards. ________________________________ Yesterday, I spent about 25 minutes with Haydee. She emigrated from the Middle East a number of years ago; she was and is an Orthodox who once lived about an hour from Jerusalem. Now she is very elderly and likes to dress up and wear hats, but she is crippled by arthritis and in a lot of pain. Haydee has a heavy accent and tends to slur her words so it demands great patience to carry on a conversation. She shared this with me for the first time: "When the aides give me a bath they don't realize how much pain they cause me and they don't take the time to listen. So I stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross, and join my pain to hers and offer it to God for sinners. I lost my grandchild 14 years ago; I know Mary understands this loss, too, so I offer that with her as we gaze upon Jesus!" ________________________________ Yesterday, I stopped by and chatted with Marion, a beautiful elderly lady with a sweet voice. She touched my arm and spoke these words of encouragement: "Deacon, I know you try, but I want you to know how important reverence is when you celebrate a Communion Service. Never be sloppy, because you proclaim God's Word and bring us Jesus in Holy Communion. So continue to be reverent and don't forget. Reverence glorifies God and encourages us." ________________________________ Yesterday, I stopped by Lucille's room. She is bedridden and extremely deaf so I have to almost yell in her ear for her to understand me. When I came by her bed she woke up, smiled and said: You're my favorite person because you bring me Jesus. He is my life! ________________________________ Helen Stasiak is a marvelous Polish lady who turned 100 just a few months ago. When I would visit her she would always have a treat to give me because when a guest comes into her "house," she always must have something to serve. She has a blanket on her bed. Imprinted on the thread is the image of Our Lady of Grace. She was so lively for her age but now is in sharp decline. When I stopped by yesterday, she had not eaten for several days and her lungs were filled with fluid. She was not conscious and labored to breathe. No family was there at the time. So I stayed bedside and prayed a Chaplet of Divine Mercy. She will probably have passed from death to life when I return on Friday! A sinner praying in the midst of saints! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
You're blessed Terry. I always had a preference for the elderly, I think because of my grandmothers, whom I adored.
I suppose if you spent your whole life being a Good Catholic you might expect towards the end of it to be at least a little bit holy.
Thank you for this. These are God’s prayer warriors. Hadee’s Words particularly touched my heart. You are so blessed Mario to be among them.
