Visiting the Sick and Imprissoned
The works of mercy aim to help us shift our focus away from ourselves and onto building up the kingdom of God. Taking focus away from myself is often uncomfortable, particularly with these two corporal works of mercy: visiting the sick and the imprisoned. Early in my priesthood, Father Alex Valladares drilled a love for and a sense of obligation to visit the sick and help the dying die well. Even when I am tired, and visiting and speaking to people is not what I desire to do, when I go on my visits, the Lord finds a way to affirm those efforts and bless both the people I see and me. I make it a point to visit all of our parishioners homebound, ill, or injured each month on or near the first Friday concerning the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Priest or not, when visiting the sick with a sense of passion for the Lord and a genuine love for the one visited, the guest takes on Christ's role and brings the love of God into the room. I know that the Legion of Mary members also reach out to visit the sick; those they visit are incredibly blessed by their presence. I am immensely grateful to the Legion and the others who visit our sick. Take this as an encouragement. When people fall ill or cannot get out and about, visit and pray with them, and let me know that I may also see them. As an aside, if you go to the hospital or know of someone else in the hospital, please let me know so I can see them and anoint them. Visiting the sick can be difficult, hospitals can be intimidating, and seeing the homebound can be uncomfortable, yet God blesses these moments more than you can ever imagine.
Further, visiting the imprisoned can feel taboo or undeserved, all the more reason they must be visited. It is not always easy to visit the imprisoned due to the different rules that are in place around the prison system, but to do what can be done to spend time and to bring the Lord’s presence to those in need of a loving face and a warm presence remains a command of the Lord. These works of mercy, when practiced faithfully, are our formula for holiness.