Sunday, March 29, 2020

​In 2003 I met Ray Giunta, a Disciples of Christ minister and paramedic, who had served as a ‘chaplain’ to the recovery teams in New York City following the 9-11 attacks.  Ray was the keynote speaker at a Chaplain’s conference and was sharing how he did pastoral care in situations like 9-11, most of which took place in the turmoil of large disasters...Plane crashes, wildfires and of course 9-11.  During the question and answer session that followed his presentation a counselor asked him how pastors, chaplains, etc. could apply these 9-11 type experiences to the everyday work of caring for the sick, downcast and dying.  He said, “Somewhere in the world at this very moment there are  untold numbers of individual 9-11’s taking place...a husband dies, a child is sick, a job is lost, the future is uncertain.”  He encouraged those hearing him that day to do what he did with those who were digging through the rubble at the World Trade Center site...”Be present and mostly silent”.

While we can not be ‘present’ with all those we love and want to care for...we can be ‘mostly silent’ in our prayers.  A ‘mostly silent’ time with God might be a needed spiritual discipline during these  days of pandemic, in not knowing what will happen and when it will might end.  By our silence we might hear words of hope, healing and grace in the midst of sickness and death.  And we might remember Jesus’ final promise to his disciples “And I will be with you (present) always, even to the end of the age.”  My prayer is that you will rest in the knowledge of His presence and be listening for His voice of peace!

God Be With You Til’ We (Can) Meet Again...

Ron