Sarah!

During my internship year at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Atlantic Beach, Florida, I had the honor and privilege of visiting the sick and bringing them Communion. At the end of my year beginning in May of 1988, I was ordained a transitional deacon on May 28^, 1989. When I visited the sick, I was unable to hear confessions, anoint the sick or preside at any Sacraments. So this ministry was basically an opportunity to bring the Jesus in me and greet the Jesus in another. It was a glorious time of my life. When I visited, all I had to do was give love and receive love. Isn’t that the most beautiful part about being alive? God so loved the World and all who live in the world, that God, who is LOVE created ALL LOVE. To love the world and all that is in the world (including precious animals, reptiles, fish, birds, insects and creatures) is to become love. We become stewards of LOVE!

Sometimes, we are not very observant of the awesomeness of another human being because they lack something we have like hearing, sight, mobility or gifts. I am not the type to have a pet because I have a hard enough time taking care of my own body. But I have learned to really love and appreciate animals. I often chirp and sing with the family of cardinals in my back yard.  It fills me with joy. Next week I am going to help out my friends when they go away for the weekend. Ginger and Max and Beans will depend on me to feed them. Somehow, I don’t believe the two German Shepherds and the black cat are going to let me only feed them. They will wish to communicate with me. The problem is that I am not very good at “hearing” their voices. And yet, I know I have the gift of looking into their eyes and their being…and they will get under my skin also.

So the following journal entry is from April 28, 1989 on a Friday afternoon. I had been visiting Sarah for nine months. She couldn’t hear my voice, but we found other ways to communicate. She read my lips and pierced my eyes and soul. I loved her deeply. I had just visited her for the last time earlier that morning. When I finished writing this journal entry in my bedroom at the rectory, I saw her soul rise to heaven and savored the tears rolling down my cheek. Later that night, I was informed that she died at that exact moment I finished writing.

I hope you enjoy this little story of which I am only a steward of.

God is Good!

.

Sarah!

She lies in a hospital bed in a coma.

I read the story about Abraham and Sarah having a child in their old age.

And so, while I prayed with Sarah and her daughters,

we shared the gift of Sarah… (for 82 years) and more

Sarah

Gentle…delicate

Vulnerable…beautiful

One day back many months before

I opened the door to Sarah.

With difficulty hearing

She would read my lips

As we celebrated God in our presence.

Have you ever had someone read your lips?

I think she read much more than my lips.

Sarah gently would hold my

eyes,

and faintly, silently follow into me.

It’s tough getting old and feeble

And it’s tough watching someone I love adjust to age…

That is unless they take the scary walk with Jesus.

Sarah! Sarah!

You walk with Jesus

I always loved to visit you

And have you hold my hand

For when you held my hand

I felt the warmth of Mary,

The mother of Jesus.

I remember a couple months back when I came to the hospital

There you were, Sarah,

In that big bed for such a tiny you

Trouble breathing – tubes and more

You were so scared Sarah,

And when I arrived

You reached for my hand as you always did

And held so tight

And read my lips…and eyes.

Oh Sarah, Oh Sarah!

You are a gift of God and Mary.

We prayed that prayer again and again

You started to panic…

When you couldn’t remember the words,

but then we all prayed it together and were strengthened

by Our Beloved God and Savior.

“Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with You!

Blessed are you among women,

And blessed is the fruit of your womb…Jesus!

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners now and at the Hour of our death. Amen.”

I can’t be with you now Sarah

And we shall surely miss you

Daughter

Son

Granddaughter

Grandson

Greatgrands

And all your brothers and sisters in Christ.

But Sarah,

I sit here now and smile

For you are still holding our hand

And showing us Our God of love and compassion and infinite mercy.

We are risen…ALLELUIA!

I love you, Sarah.

Amen.

*Come to think of it, I remember the dog we had in our large family of 9 kids. “Rags” was a great dog. I didn’t like the chore of opening the dog cans and feeding him, but I sure remember him with love. He was a mutt (Hound and Golden Retriever) we had for many years. He taught us loyalty, love, vulnerability, friendship, responsibility and much more. It seems to me that the only trick I remember is asking Rags to give me his paw and he obliged. And there were times when I was watching TV that he came up and gave me his paw even when I didn’t ask. Heaven must even be better than that…if that is possible! When Rags was an old dog, even with his arthritis, he asked me with his eyes to hold his paw. I will be 50 years old in less than a month. I guess an Old Dog has visited my memory and taught “this old dog” a new trick. Has Rags taught you how to visit the sick? Pass it on.

Love, Joy, Peace,

Padre Ron +

www.tearinthedesert.com