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Listen while you read: "At The Name Of Jesus"1
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John 6:53 – Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
My mother-in-law is elderly, ill, housebound and not a very happy person. She is in constant pain physically and emotionally. She tells me of her youth in the old country, of how she wasn't wanted, of being beaten for being left-handed and when that didn't work, how her mother cut her forefinger from the nail to the knuckle. Left-handedness was considered a sign of the devil. She tells of her mistreatment when she came to this country.
Her anger and rage is vented on everyone and everything; she tells me her stories at every visit and I listen. She is mad at the world and few are exempt, except she is never mad at God. We have sat together in silent prayer and shared the grace of the gospel via the television.
On a recent visit, she was having one of her "moments" when the "Travelling Sister" phoned to see if she could bring communion that day. The sister is a retired nun who takes communion to the infirm, the housebound, and residents in care homes.
I listened as the Sister spoke, and as they shared communion a certain peacefulness came upon my mother-in-law that lasted the rest of the day. She had been calmed by communion and the grace of God through his servant.
God is our refuge and our strength. He calms us in turbulent times. We can put ourselves in a place of unrest, yet, He can quiet our fears and relieve us of our rage. We can be calmed by communion: communion with family and friends, communion with bread and wine, and communion with Him in prayer.
Prayer: We give thanks, Oh Lord, for the many ways in which you work within our lives. We give thanks also for those whom you have sent us as servants of your word. We offer our thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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About the author:
Mary Daniel <marydee@shaw.ca>
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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Hello Mary
Thank you for sharing. My older brother is left handed and I remember ones telling to use his right hand especially my one grandmother.
I am glad communion gave such peace for her. Only God.
God bless.
We all have similar anger at our own plight in life, and it weighs us down and moves us further away from Christ. I am so very guilty of venting my anger at the world which seams righteous but only moves me further from Christ but when I focus on Him and God’s Word, I am lifted up and the holy spirit returns in me and I cry with joy at God’s Grace and Mercy and my shame of disobedience, thinking I can change the world when I should just leave it in God’s hands as all things Glorify God’s and are called according to His purpose. Amen.
Hello Mary,
Wow, what life growing up for your mother-in-law. One brother of mine was left handed and especially my our grandmother would give him such a hard time. I am happy the peace she received with communion and the grace of God.
Blessings.