There is a home in Wilmington, Delaware run by the Ministry of Caring. Fr. Ronald Giannone works there, mainly with people who are dying of AIDS. He tells me that people too often come into the home depressed and in despair. The pain he sees is more emotional than physical, even though the patients are dying of their illness. He says they are often ostracized by family because of their lifestyle choices -- and the belief that their illness was caused by their own behavior. They feel abandoned.
A big part of the work he and his team do is to reconcile these people with their loved ones, and when it happens, the patients can relax and turn from their regrets. But even when reconciliation doesn't happen, they receive the love of the family formed by their fellow patients and the workers at the Ministry of Caring. He says this love changes everything. The halls of the home are not somber, but joyful. When people die, they are mourned, but celebrated, too. Every day is a celebration of the gifts of God.
Even more important than the love of others, is the constant message that they are the children of a God who will never stop loving them, and will always welcome them home. I thought of this as I listened today to the Gospel of the Prodigal Son, thankful that it is true for all of us. Luke 15:11-34
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