April 17, 2020 - Love and Resurrection

"Faith, hope and charity remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthinans 13:13). These final words of St. Paul's famous letter to the Cornithians about the primacy and necessity of love have been revealed beautifully to me through my recent ministry to the sick and dying. As many of you know Birchwood nursing home has been devasted with a large outbreak of the coronavirus. Many residents and staff have contracted the disease and some have died. It is challenging to have to witness these tragedies, and I commend the courage, compassion and love expressed by the nurses and staff who minister daily to the sick here. 

The love that St. Paul speaks about in this letter to the Corinthians is vibrant and active at Birchwood amidst this great tragedy. The nurses and staff risk their own safety and health to serve the needs of the sick and dying; their love for others is extraordinary and a great witness to me everytime I enter to bring the sacraments and offer prayer. 

Yet the main focus of my reflection today is on the love I witnessed between a husband and his dying wife. Perhaps the greatest suffering during these challenging times is that endured by the family who cannot be with their sick, dying loved ones. Many family memebers throughout the world have been left in this difficult position. It is heart wrenching to witness this, especially by the nurses who are caring for the patients. 

Recently I was present to a woman who was in her last hours. Her beloved husband had been at her side throughout their lives together and especially since her time at Birchwood he would be at her side daily. However, since this pandemic he was not able to be present with her. She contracted the virus, her health declined rapidly, and all he could do was watch and pray from home and be present through phone calls. The agony and suffering in his voice was clearly evident. 

One of the staff, a nurse and chaplain, invited me to join her with him on the phone, and we went to the bedside of his dying wife. We prayed together her favorite prayers, the Hail Mary and Our Father, as she would often pray the rosary. Then I offered a prayer and blessing. However, then the most beautiful grace was given to me in what I then was privleged to witness. The phone was held to his wife's ear and this beautiful man poured out his love from the depths of his anguished heart. He expressed his profound love and truly made real to me the sacrament of marriage - the one-flesh union of husband and wife. 

I will never forget this beautiful gift of love; the undying love of a husband for his beloved wife. Jesus embodies this love on the cross and was raised from the dead 3 days later. The love of a husband for his wife is the path by which God calls each of them to Himself in eternal life. This wonderful man was loving his wife into the arms of God. 

Truly love never dies.