Admit it. Sometimes when Father Richard asks us to raise our
hands in blessing over the Eucharistic minister at the closing of mass, we
inwardly groan a little. It’s hard work to hold your arms up like that and
you’re ready to head out to brunch or lunch or the duties of the day. I had
felt like that in the past until the day it dawned on me what an awesome symbol
of community and outreach this simple gesture represented. One particular Sunday
when bringing the Eucharist to a nursing home after receiving the blessing of
Father and the entire parish, I described the blessing to the residents and had
them close their eyes and imagine all of those hundreds of arms outstretched
toward them in blessing. They were overwhelmed.
So often the elderly and infirm feel loneliness and disconnect
from their faith community. They miss being able to attend mass and the many
activities related to parish life. Knowing they have an entire community of the
faithful sending a blessing their way each and every Sunday is a beautiful
reminder of our truly being one body in Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment