Preach the Gospel; Use Words if You Must

This morning, I officiated at the funeral of an 86 yr. old woman who had spent the last 14 years of her life in a long term care facility. As I drove to the funeral home, I began to think of just what I wanted to say in my homily. I had only visited this woman a few times before she was actively dying.

Suddenly, St. Francis' words came to my mind: "preach the gospel; use words if you must." I had an image of Janis (not her name) in either her wheelchair or her bed. She was unable to speak much and when she did her disease rendered the words garbled and not easily understood. Despite her inability to verbally communicate, Janis preached the gospel to all she met: She communicated with her eyes. There was a gentle calmness that I perceived as I looked into her eyes. I felt as if Janis accepted her need for help and the absolute necessity for patience with others who, like herself, could not articulate needs or thanks.

Here was a woman who struggled for each breath yet who relaxed when we prayed the rosary. One hand was set in a grasping position while the other gently grasped the hand of anyone sitting with her. Without words, there was an affirmation that sitting with a dying woman and holding her hand was a preaching of the gospel command to love one another. The longer I sat with Janis, the fewer words I uttered. Soon, we sat in silence; "tuned in" to God and one another.

There are some who ask me why I wear my Franciscan Habit in nursing facility. Contrary to what some believe, I wear it because it is a visual clue to those who do not easily comprehend spoken words, that I am a person who brings the Presence and Person of the Christ to them. Certainly this is not the only way this message is conveyed. I often greet residents on the memory units when they are in the day room. I go to each resident, speak to them, and give many hugs. Last week, I dropped into the dining room on one of these units, and the first resident I met hugged me and said, "Now, don't forget to go to everyone and give them a hug." She recognized the need that so many residents have for gentle, physical, caring, human contact.
This is the gospel at work in one of the most effective ways I have experienced it.