What does our Gracious God Who is Rich and Merciful desire for us in our later years?

The Communications Director of our Congregation extended an invitation to all the Sisters to share a reflection on how our specific ministry reflects the spirit of this Holy Year of Mercy. I submitted mine to her today and share it here with you, my blog readers.

-----     -----     -----

It was a cold December evening in Charleston, WV, 1988, as I was making an unannounced after-hours visit to a nursing home in my role as ombudsman. After about an hour visiting residents, I was retracing my steps down the hallway toward the front exit.   Although it was only 7:30, many of the rooms were already darkened and their occupants in bed for the night.  From such one darkened room I heard a resident call out from his bed.  I was nearing his doorway, and though I could not yet see into his room, I remembered having talked with him earlier. He was a WWII veteran; his right arm had been amputated at the shoulder.  I asked from the hallway, “Can I help you?”   The answer was quick and strong:  “A hug.”  I walked into this man’s room and gave him a simple hug; he settled back onto his pillow and I made my way home.

A simple response to a vulnerable elder’s expressed heartfelt need.  I hope there was some message of his being loved eternally and unconditionally.

Francis tells us in “The Name of God is Mercy” that “Mercy is deeply connected with God’s faithfulness.” Francis also says clearly that true mercy is not words alone, that active love and compassion must find voice in action.

My current efforts – through writing, workshops, presentations, visits to motherhouses and provincialates, and consultative services – are to stir a new consciousness among those who, by election or by appointment, are called to serve those elderly Sisters who need supportive aging services. This new consciousness calls for transforming the institutional culture of retirement centers to places where life is still lived to the fullest. Transforming the culture, the operative philosophy, opens doors to heretofore unimagined scenarios of life in the midst of frailty and illness.

Life blossoms each day with:

          ♦ Knowledge that one’s dignity is being recognized and honored.

          ♦ Experiencing purpose and meaning in one’s day and life.

          ♦ Richness of meaningful relationships.

          ♦ The exercise of choice about every possible event of their day.

The Sister is no longer living in an institution, she is living at HOME!

Our God, Gracious, Kind and Merciful, Rich in Mercy -- as the psalmists tell us-- wants this quality of life for each of us, wants us to have what fulfills us and enables us to live more fully.  My efforts in ministry to make such life possible for Sisters across the country are surely a work of mercy.