I met Sister Mary DeSales in Clinical Pastoral Education at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul. We called her Blossom because everyone in her order based in Little Falls, MN was called by the same name. Blossom volunteered to do her work in the oncology unit of the hospital. When she shared her verbatims (recalling words exchanged with patients) they were often very short. You see, Sister Mary believed in and practiced a ministry of presence. She sat for hours by the bedside of a patient, letting them know she was there, praying for them silently or occasionally aloud. The ministry she brought was timely and well-received.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for a family member or friend is just to “be there”—to sit with them silently and perhaps pray for them. Job’s three friends did this very well after they came to visit him, now not only grieving the total loss of his children, but also suffering from head to toe with “loathsome sores.” There seemed to be a method to their ministry because before coming “they met together to go and console and comfort him.” (2:11) When they saw him they wept aloud, tore their robes and threw dust on their heads (signs of grief). Then they sat seven days and seven nights with him.
They should have left well enough alone. But then Job opened his mouth and cursed God. They must have felt shame, hearing Job wish he hadn’t survived birth. Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, could not keep silent. He intimated that Job must have sinned or he wouldn’t be suffering as much as he was. Job then complained that his friends as a whole were like “dried up springs,” disappointing at best, annoying at worst. Further, there was nothing he had done which would lead God to punish him so greatly.
Certainly, there are times in our lives when we all suffer. They are not easy times and they may lead us to question others and even question God. When this happens, we may lament what is happening to us and cry out “why?” But ultimately what will make a difference in our ability to get through whatever it is will be the presence of God and the presence of others.
During these times dealing with the coronavirus, all of us will have questions that don’t seem to be answered. In the midst of it, we can be thankful if we have friends who will just be there for us and who will remind us of the blessings that we have received along the way.
“Lord God, lead us to trust in you even when we don’t have all the answers. May we always be good listeners and suppliers of your presence to others. Amen.”
Pastor Roger Black
Additional Reading: Job 4-7
