October 6th, 2024 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the greatest blessings that I have seen firsthand is the comfort that family members bring to one another when sickness, misfortune, and old age occur. When people think about their last days, they imagine themselves surrounded by family members and close friends, those who care for and comfort them. Twenty-five years ago, I made a pastoral visit early in my first year as a pastor in Sherborn to the home of a dying woman named Adelina. When I entered her room, I found her children and grandchildren near her bedside, whispering “I love you” in her ears and then her husband of over 50 years, knelt by his wife, professed his love for her and entrusting her into God’s hands. Nine years ago, my dad had taken a sudden turn for the worse. I arrived at the nursing home a little after midnight and he was really laboring to breathe, so I anointed him and then the nurse joined me in praying the rosary for dad. My sister came and stayed with dad until he died -- actually on the morning of Divine Mercy Sunday.

In the creation story from the Book of Genesis, God said it is not good for us to be alone. That is why we don’t want anyone to be alone as they face a serious illness or their own death. The Catholic response is to keep the dying person as comfortable and pain-free as possible, and to accompany them with love and compassion all the way home to God.