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Dear Parish Faithful,
CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED HE IS RISEN!
I had quite an encounter with one of our parishioners last Sunday that I would like to briefly recall and share with you. I went to visit Dave Latorre, an older parishioner who has not been able to be present in church for many years now, so there are more than a few of you who do not know Dave. But Dave has been in the parish as a member before I arrived here many years ago. Be that as it may, I went to visit him at his nursing home in Green Hills. Presvytera Deborah accompanied me.
As we all know, nursing home facilities are rather dreary places in that the residents are most likely confined there for the rest of their natural lives; and thus for the most part in some state of decline or debilitating condition. Or, at least we could say that the atmosphere is not cheerful. One hopes that the facility is kept clean and that the staff are dedicated to offering the best care possible within the conditions they are working with. A staff worker who works with great care and compassion is to be highly commended because they know that they are not looking after patients who will not improve, but who, once again, are steadily declining. All in all, it is hard work, and the "rewards" are probably not apparently recognizable.
Dave was having lunch so we had to wait for awhile, but eventually we were able to take him back to his room and set things up for a short service with Holy Communion. Now Dave clearly has "dementia," yet at what stage or level I cannot say. I am pretty certain that he does not fully recognize me but he will greet me with a smile and say "Hi, Father," when I visit.
An encouraging phenomenon I have witnessed with more than one declining parishioner is that they are able to participate in the short service leading up to Communion. However poorly their memory is working, they "somehow" do retain a memory of the prayers of the Church. I commented on this recently at the funeral of Marie Sim. Thus, Dave was quite able to recite the Trisagion Prayers, the Creed and the Pre-Communion Prayers as well make the sign of the Cross at the appropriate times together with Presvytera and myself.
And here is where this all became a memorable moment.
Upon receiving Holy Communion, Dave was almost ecstatic with a kind of sincere and open-hearted joy. He let out a cry of deep satisfaction immediately upon receiving the Eucharist, and repeatedly exclaimed: "This is just so wonderful!" "I am so happy!" And, almost climactically: "This is one of the best days of my life!"
I can assure you that I am not recounting this for any sentimental or warm-fuzzy effect. Wherever this was "coming from" it seemed, well, very real. It does not matter if this was all result of what is "lacking" in Dave. It is not for us to judge the source of a legitimate experience. But Presvytera Deborah caught it all just right when she said: He was completely "in the moment." And being "in the moment" is a deep component of Orthodox spirituality.
To be honest, I will assume that Dave forgot about this experience by the time we took him back to the TV room and departed from his company. It is what it is. But, no reason to allow that to undermine the whole experience and our share in it. Yet, upon a bit more reflection, I found something here rather convicting. Am I - are we as a community of eucharistic communicants - "in the moment" when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ at the Liturgy? Or is it "business as usual" on Sunday morning before we get to our next planned activity? Is our mind elsewhere not only in the Liturgy but even as we are in the Communion line even though we just heard the solemn exclamation: "In the fear of God, and with faith, draw near!" How wonderful, or joyful, or meaningful is our "eucharistic experience?" (Over the years, I have seen parishioners/communicants who have received the Eucharist with tears in their eyes).
We are fully conscious and our faculties for the present are quite intact. But that does not guarantee anything. It is about the heart for: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21). Let's do our best to "be in the moment" whenever we are in the Liturgy and especially when we approach the Chalice to receive the Eucharist. As I like to say, it is all downhill from there. But that "hill" could be something like Tabor where we delight in the presence of the Lord.
