The Anguish of a Soul

I visited Rose, an elderly lady from Kearny who was confined at the Intensive Care Unit at Clara Maas Hospital this afternoon. I never met or knew Rose before. Somebody just asked me if I could go and visit her in the hospital because she was very sick, so I went. Nobody was around when I arrived at her bedside. When I saw her, I thought at first that she was sleeping. Her eyes were closed and I was almost tempted not to disturb her. But then I saw a rosary in her hand. So I said, she must be praying. When I called her name, she gradually opened up her eyes. Rose could not say any words but I knew that she could hear me. When I told her that I was there to visit her and that I wanted to pray for her, she exuded a little smile on her face. I could sense that she was glad I was there to visit her. I spent some fifteen minutes praying for Rose.

As i was driving home from the hospital, I received a call from Jane, a family friend, who asked if I could visit her friend Linda in her house right away. Her friend Linda needed some prayers too. Tomorrow, Linda will undergo a major operation to remove a cancer. Since I was not too far away from the place, I said yes. It took me about twenty minutes to drive to Linda's place. When I saw Linda, she started to cry. "Please pray for me, I am dying," she said. I just held her in my arms. After a while, as we sat down in the sofa, she told me about her medical condition and her upcoming operation. She has a cancer in the uterus which has to be removed, including a kidney and a spleen. As she was sharing me all these, she started to cry again. I could not say anything but just listened to her and comfort her. After a while, I started to pray for her. I gave her the sacrament of anointing and holy communion. Afterwards, she said that she was so at peace. I told her that God loves her and can work miracles. I promised to pray for her tomorrow when she goes for the operation. If you read this, please include Linda in your prayers. She is facing maybe the greatest battle in her life.

As I was driving home, I felt some heaviness in my heart. Just today, I have seen and felt the anguish of two souls. I could not help but murmur some prayers for them and for their families.