“Fr. Michael, I have tried to live my life with dignity, and I think that I have done a good job. Now, I am going to try to die with dignity. I have never done this before, so I am asking for your prayers as I begin this final journey.” Moments later, I gave this gentleman, who was dying of cancer, the Sacraments of Anointing of the Sick, Confession and Holy Communion. He smiled and in front of his whole family said, “I am ready to go, there is nothing more I need and I am at peace.” He lived those final days with great dignity, making his children laugh with his clever sense of humor, and showing a level of graciousness and gratitude that brought everyone to tears. Moments like these are special to every priest, as we are able to see the mercy of God and the effectiveness of his grace at work.
I received a phone call several years ago to visit a tennis pro at a country club who had taken a hard fall, hitting his head on the street, to the point of not waking up for several days in a coma. His mother and sister were crying in the hospital room when I walked in, and looking at his pale faced body and bandaged head, it did not look good. I gave him anointing of the sick, prayed quietly with his mom and sister, and left the room with a heavy heart. Two days later, I received a phone call saying that he had snapped out of the coma and the doctors were amazed at the minimal neurological damage that he suffered as a result…within a few weeks, he was back on the court teaching tennis. He personally told me that although he was in a coma, he actually remembers my presence in the room and the immediate effect of the prayers…he told me that it gave him tremendous comfort.
I had the privilege of giving a final blessing to an 98 year old woman who was on her last days. As I walked in the house and was escorted into her room, a bright light seem to radiate from this frail woman’s face. Her smile was angelic, and the peace she exuded was tremendous. I blessed her and prayed for her. Having been told that she had attended daily Mass and had lived an exemplary Christian life, I asked if she could pray for me when she is with Our Lord. She gently nodded her head and held my hands with a glance of love, and said, “Thank you so much for coming, Fr. Michael, I am so grateful…and I will pray for you!”
These are just a few of the special experiences I have had with souls in their final moments or simply in difficult moments, and I consider this to be a tremendous privilege from God. It shows how much God the Father truly cares about each and every soul from cradle to grave, and the effectiveness of prayer and his saving grace.
