Pastor's Spiritual Reflections |
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By Fr. Leo Schneider (7/6/2008)Dear People of Holy Name, X“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will
give you rest.” These words from Matthew’s gospel are great to meditate on when one is overburdened. I pray them often with those who are sick and are suffering a great deal. The Lord promises comfort and relief to those whose pain of mind, body or soul is great. Meditating on these words builds trust in God and allows one to surrender to God’s goodness even in our pain. When we unite our suffering to that of Christ we may not feel less physical pain, but we do find comfort and strength in sharing so deeply in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without a great love and desire to be with the Lord, this type of surrendering to his love is not possible and his compassion will seem suspect. When a priest is called to minister to the very ill and the dying the sacrament of utmost importance is the Eucharist. To receive our Lord and to unite ourselves with him, is our primary goal as Christians and our greatest act of living faith in our dying. Only if there is time would the priest also celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick, anointing the sick person in the name of the Lord. Thus there is no emergency last sacrament at the time of death. Such anxiety expresses little faith in God who is in all and with all, all the time. None of our sacraments are magic; they are an opportunities to celebrate the powerful presence of God, who can help us transform our death into new life. To the extent our faith is a deep and profound relationship with the incarnate God in his Spirit, we will be at peace in our dying. The power of the Sacrament of the Sick is that the priest continues the work of Jesus who touched and healed in his own day and through our church, continues to touch and heal today. The priest lays hands on the sick person just as Jesus laid hands on the sick, and he anoints for healing just as Jesus anointed, and if there are any sins they will be forgiven. Though not limited to the Sacrament of the Sick, celebrating the sacrament is a profound and effective way to celebrate the healing presence of God. Thus, I would encourage any of you who are seriously ill or facing surgery to arrange to be anointed. Many times, we have celebrated the Anointing of the Sick during our Mass on Monday nights, so that the community can gather around our sick sister or brother and ask God’s healing power to come upon them. Celebrating the Anointing of the Sick during mass is ideal. What better time to place our trust in the Lord to give us peace in his love, than when we have united ourselves to him in the Holy Eucharist. For each of us this is what we do every Sunday. The Lord is the one who heals and raises us up. To believe in Jesus’ power and to surrender to him is the ultimate act of Faith for any of us. Let us pray for the grace to give ourselves to the Lord and by his love, to be united to him in a way that brings us peace and healing of mind, body and soul, even in our suffering. To be united to the Lord is our goal and is also the desire of the Lord, who wishes to unite us to himself. Let us trust the Lord and surrender to his goodness, that his grace may make us one with him and with each other on our journey to his Kingdom In Christ’s peace, Fr. Leo |