Living the Corporal Works of Mercy should be an everyday part of our life. It is our call as Catholics. Those in need are to be taken care of out of love. It is the love of Christ that impels us forward to do this. One of the things that we struggle a lot with is visiting the sick. We don’t know what to do or even what to say. A lot of times we avoid it because it feels awkward. But visiting the sick is something we are called to do. So what should we do? We could pray with the sick. Just even stopping in for five minutes can be a real gift to someone that is homebound.
VISIT THE SICK
Those who are sick are often forgotten or avoided. In spite of their illness, these individuals still have much to offer to those who take the time to visit and comfort them.
- Give blood
- Spend time volunteering at a nursing home – Get creative and make use of your talents (e.g. sing, read, paint, call Bingo, etc.)!
- Take time on a Saturday to stop and visit with an elderly neighbor.
- Offer to assist caregivers of chronically sick family members on a one-time or periodic basis. Give caregivers time off from their caregiving responsibilities so they can rest, complete personal chores, or enjoy a relaxing break.
- Next time you make a meal that can be easily frozen, make a double batch and give it to a family in your parish who has a sick loved one.
Excerpt of USCCB.org
Visiting the sick is a hard one for us also because we live in a society that is go, go, go. It isn’t easy because we are seeing someone suffering in front of us. But our biggest problem is this: we are focused too much on ourselves! That is a big reason we don’t go visit those who are sick. It makes us uncomfortable, and since we don’t know how to handle it, we don’t do it. We are out of control when we visit the sick, and this is a good thing. Turn to God and bring Jesus to those in need!
Fr. Thomas P. Galarneault