Caring for 'the least of these'
Excerpts from a sermon preached at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Waterloo, Belgium
November 26, 2017
The power of Matthew 25 resides in a very deep place in my soul. Jesus instructs his followers to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison; and to realize that when we extend such kindness to another, especially the least of our sisters and brothers, we offer it to Christ himself.
Now Jesus’ words are taking on new meaning for me for as I become a member of the dementia community – a group of people that society often overlooks, dismisses, ignores, and treats as “one of the least of these.”
Below is an adaptation of Matthew 25 – written from the perspective of someone with dementia living in a memory unit:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was waiting for my meal while the care staff were quietly feeding others and you picked up a spoon to help me eat; I was thirsty – I had spilled the juice earlier – and you took the beaker and helped me to hold it to my mouth; I was a new resident, unknown to you, yet you smiled the smile of peace and acceptance; I had pulled my skirt up above my knees and you helped me preserve my dignity by gently pulling it down and straightening it around my waist; I was shouting for help across the room and you came and touched my hand and blessed me; I felt I was in a prison – the locked doors, a final barrier to my freedom, and you came to reassure me that this was my home where others worked to help me, not their workplace where I was an inconvenient intrusion; I was confused and stressed and you played music to me, you read to me, you showed me pictures and laughed with me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you in such a state of distress and respond in practical compassion?’
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these broken people of mine, you did for me.’”
So, go and do likewise. - Tracey
Tracey and Sunny Hallanan, the Rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church, Waterloo