Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
June 30, 2015 6:30am
There is a story – a true story –
about a young hospital chaplain who was called to the emergency room.
The doctors wanted a chaplain
present when they told a family that their young wife and mother did not
survive a car accident.
The young chaplain, in his own
words, said that he felt helpless.
The theology he had learned in
the seminary seemed useless.
He did not know what to say or
do.
So he called a senior chaplain
and asked for advice.
And the elder minister said, “You can’t say anything to ‘fix’ the
problem.
This young woman is dead, and nothing you can say will bring her back.
Your job is to make sure this family knows that they are not going
through this alone.”
That senior chaplain gave very
wise advice.
It is so simple that we don’t
think of it.
But it is real and it is true and
I can vouch for that from my own experiences in ministry and in life in general.
Today’s gospel reminds us that we
are not alone in the crises and catastrophes of life.
Christ is present to us:
in the love and support of family
and friends,
in the wisdom of teachers and
mentors and counselors,
in the prayer of a priest or
minister,
in the church and community of
faith that we are part of.
And, last but not least, Christ
is present right within us, in the very core of our being, waiting for us to
prayerfully draw upon his strength.
So if we look, we can see
Christ’s light in the darkness and desolation we can sometimes encounter.
In the storms of life, we can
find some steadiness and calm in Jesus and in grasping his hand – whether in
prayer or the sacraments or the Scripture or the community of faith or one
another.
