One of the coolest things—no, the coolest thing about doing ministry visits to me is when we celebrate the Sacrament. This especially has hit home for me the past two weeks as on our Thursday visit days we have visited two unique women. Last Thursday we visited a nursing home in Far Rockaway, which the “Far” does not do it justice to just how much of a trip it is from the neighborhood. There we met a woman who used to regularly make it to St. John’s in Williamsburg, which in itself by car straight up is a 45 minute drive. Now factor in that this woman does not have a car and travels by mass transit. She would take multiple buses and the subway to make it to St. John’s for a Sunday. You’re definitely talking about a good hour and a half visit. Needless to say she cannot and does not make it to St. John’s anymore because of her situation. Pastor actually had to do some “going outside the box” work in order to track her down because she had moved from one facility to another and due to the laws the church cannot be told where a person moved to. That information is only available for immediate family members, or the most immediate family member—the next of kin. So we tracked her down and trekked it out to Far Rockaway and enjoyed a beautiful hour plus visit talking with a woman who was uplifted by our ministry of presence and by the Word being shared and by her receiving the Sacrament.
This week we went to the projects across the street from St. John’s. The trip is about a 45 second walk opposed to a 45 minute one. This situation was quite different. Unlike last week’s visit where we visited an otherwise mobile woman who needed assistance, we visited a bed-ridden woman with Multiple Sclerosis. She is paralyzed from the neck down and can barely utter a word. Yet what was simply miraculous to me was her face as we read her the Portals of Prayer devotion and especially as we went into the celebration of the Sacrament. Her face literally lit up as she recited the liturgy with us by simply moving her lips. This is a woman who is bed-ridden with a horrible disease and can barely utter any coherent words. Yet there she was, uttering the liturgy of the Sacrament.
In both of these visits I noticed the comfort the Sacrament brought. To me that is the miracle of the Sacrament. These two faithful women truly believe they are receiving more than just bread and wine and they are receiving the very body and blood of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. To them this was no mere celebration of a past story of faith. No, to them this was a very real celebration of a very real person coming into their suffering presence. If I may be selfish for a moment it was comforting to me, since I am not comfortable in nursing homes and in the presence of the paralyzed. Jesus coming to them in Holy Communion made those trips worth it. It’s a ministry of presence that extends beyond any and all understanding. Yet it brought intense hope and comfort to those who have nothing else.
The ministry of presence is great because it allows you to connect to those who need that comfort of knowing people love them. But it is also important for pastors because they can bring the comfort of the Gospel in the bread and the wine as Jesus is truly present in, with, and under the elements. It is that type of comfort that no man can give, and only God can deliver. Thanks be to God for this gracious gift of the Sacrament of the Altar which nourishes us and sustains us in our faith. Hallelujah!
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