TO BE ON EARTH THE HEART OF GOD

As the MSC prepare for the Provincial Chapter next month, the site will have various short stories of pastoral care. Here are the first three.

Stories

We asked our Missionaries of the Sacred Heart to share a story about a beautiful and simple pastoral moment during their life as an MSC. These are their stories.  Peter Hendriks msc (pictured above)

I felt ministered to his openness and heartfelt honesty.

I was visiting men in solitary cells, easily the most daunting part of my pastoral time in prison, when in the midst of trying to get through everyone to check out on them, I was stopped in my tracks by a guy in the cell who thanked me profusely for coming to visit him, and that he always looked forward to such a time when the chaplain(s) would come through.

Something like this rarely happens of course. We started talking more deeply and he shared about his family whom he missed dearly, and his Muslim faith that kept him sane behind bars.

As with most things unexpected, I found the moment to be grace-filled, one in which he offered hospitality to me even as I was just routinely checking up on him. I felt ministered to his openness and heartfelt honesty moving me to see beyond him as a prisoner, dare I say to see the Christ in him.

That day I felt I received more than I gave, and it renewed my passion for this work, and opened me up much more to a God of surprises.

– Kris Mathavan msc

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

I was called to the hospital one day to give a blessing to a stillborn baby girl.

When I got there all the family were there Mum and dad and their 3 children. When I blessed the baby who was in her father’s arms, he passed the baby to his wife who prayed a silent blessing and in turn the baby was passed onto her 3 siblings who also prayed a silent blessing. Then the father prayed out aloud:

‘The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Then the whole family sang Amazing Grace (there was not a dry eye in the room.)

For me it was very much a graced moment and I was overwhelmed with this family’s incredible faith and trust in God at this most devastating time in their lives. it was an experience I will never forget. The good news is that 15 months later a healthy little girl was born – our God is so good.

– Terry Bowman msc

Even if it meant telling God off and meaning it.

A feeling of great consolation came over me mingled with peace and joy when I was able to free someone from their fear of sharing with God how that person felt about dying. How it was for them to tell God that stage four Cancer ‘sucks’ and that God would want to hear that just how it is – even if it meant telling God off and meaning it.

The relief and joy I could read on that person’s face was going to be enough, I believe, to carry them on to the next moment of their life and to allow God to embrace them and for that person to finally embrace God.  It gave me hope and joy to consider my ‘dying’ time, the end of my beginning, can be full of the same type of honesty and forthrightness with God and that God’s heart would be ravished by my response.

– Dominic Gleeson msc