Welcoming Mercy

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
~ Matthew 13:44 (NIV)

A few years ago I was providing chaplain support for a local hospital during the holidays so that their staff could be off, and patients and their families would continue to have spiritual care support.  During these times, I always knew that I could be called to the bedside of a patient at any time.

Late in the evening, I received a call from the hospital's switchboard operator, noting a request for a chaplain had been received, and that it was an "unusual" request.

I always try to enter these conversations with an open heart, and an open mind.  "Unusual," is not a word that I think of immediately when a request is received.  I then called that patient's spouse and soon learned that a child was about to be born, and that the child would not survive.  The baby was both premature, and had a number of birth defects that would not allow for the baby to even survive the birth process.  When I asked what the parents wanted for the child, the man shared, "I just want someone from a church to bless my child."

I agreed to come and offer support, and soon was dressed and on the road to Galveston where the hospital is located.

About thirty minutes later I entered the room where I soon discovered a young mother holding a baby wrapped in a blanket, with her husband by her side, and a few staff persons from the hospital offering support.

The couple had been crying, and the room was very quiet, except for the occasional opening of the door as staff continued to care for a number of families that were currently on the labor and delivery unit.  I asked the father of the child to introduce the child to me.  

Even though the child had been born dead, up until this day there had been plans made, and a name picked.  "His name is Thomas."

I asked the mother if I could hold the child, and the mother reached out, allowing me to take the baby from her arms.  The room was dimly lit, but even in the darkness, I could see that the child was deformed.  I smiled and welcomed the child into the world, while realizing the sacredness of the moment.  I offered a blessing, proclaiming the child's name, and prayed for the child's parents.  I noted that they loved "Thomas" so much that they wanted to make sure that he was affirmed, and in doing so, validate his existence.  

I opened the blanket and took a small shell I had picked up from an earlier trip to the beach, and filled it with water.  I gently poured it over the baby, allowing it to flow freely, and undisturbed.  I then invited that parents to pray with me, with them touching the child as I began, "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name..."

I gave the shell to the dad, and placed the child back in the arms of his mother, and thanked them for invited me into a very sacred moment in their life.  They thanked me for coming and I was soon back on the road, heading home, where I would wait for the "next" call.

As I crossed the Causeway from the Island back to the mainland, I thought of my own children and grandchildren, and what an amazing blessing they are, and offered a prayer of thanksgiving.  

I have often wondered about the couple since that evening, and like so many people I have met while on-call, I simply pray that all is well with them.

I remember how Thomas Merton once wrote: “God is mercy in mercy in mercy.” This means that the more we come to know ourselves, the more we come to know God’s mercy, which is beyond the mercy we know. 

The Kingdom of God arrives around us in so many ways.  Each encounter helps to define it's presence.  No matter the joys or the sorrows, I am reminded just how sacred each of us are to God, and that in the times we are "unable," God makes all things possible.

Stay in God's grip!
Todd

Rev. G. Todd Williams, MDiv., (c) 2024