Our community is brimming with youth. But thanks be to God, we do have two older Sisters – both of them in their nineties – Sister Ellien and Sister Juanita. These Sisters are a tremendous blessing to us. They constantly cheer us up with their wit and antics but above all, their very presence reminds us of the faithfulness of God. He never abandons us, even when we are weak and frail.
They also help us to get out of ourselves because we have to take care of them all day and all night!
Within the triduum of Saint Therese, we thought it would be opportune to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing to our dear Sisters. We cherish this sacrament because we see how Jesus Christ reaches out to sustain and console those who are very sick and in poor health. Jesus heals the person not only their body but their soul as well.
It was a simple yet significant ceremony. During our conventual mass, the chaplain anointed the Sisters’ foreheads and the palm of their hands with the Oil of the Sick while he recited particular prayers.
Yes, as the psalm, 92, says “They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green…”