July 16th, 2020: Identify with Jesus' Suffering

 

Yesterday was one more day of dealing with the consequences of Covid-19. Most of the cases I am dealing with are indirectly related to Covid-19. We are now facing the impact of the pandemic on many other people who are also sick. The language of grief can have many tones and expressions. My emotion is one of sadness in knowing and faith in not knowing.

It was about a lovely grandmother who had been a tremendous presence in her grandchildren's lives. She just went to bed and died. She was afraid of going to the hospital and ended up dying from having a heart attack. Her daughter is a single mom and had to rely on the grandmother for help to take care of the kids. One of the granddaughters said to me: "Grandma did not die. She always has a place in my heart." That is one of the best descriptions of our influence on others.

It was about a young person who just began her adult life as a university student. She was worried about her future. She withdrew from being with her friend. She was a loner and had been prone to depression throughout her high school years. The isolation has created some other intense fear,  and she asked a friend recently: "Can you give me one good reason to be alive?" She went to sleep with the intention not to get up. Her mother found her after she failed to show up for breakfast.

It was about a homeless person who had been suffering from a personality disorder. He had been wandering from one shelter to another. It was almost impossible to understand him. He talked about his family in random segments of his conversations. He was not a violent man. He was just aggressive at times. It was a warm summer night, and he decided to leave his shelter and slept outside. He never woke up, and the cause is unknown at this present time. Those who knew him, remember how he used to say: "Thank you and God Bless You." God bless his soul indeed.

When we consider all of these people, we discover that they all have their unique way of crying for help. Personally, I believe that God heard them.  Let us listen better so that we can be a healing presence for some people around us. Let us not be afraid of the cost of caring because it helps us discover God-given gifts in our lives. That allows us to identify with Christ in His suffering.

"Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding." (Proverbs 2: 2)