A Comfotable Cup of Tea
A quote from Catherine:
The Sisters will be tired; see that they have a comfortable cup of tea
when I'm gone.
This week we had two funerals at our Motherhouse, one a beloved sister, 94 who was active in many things at the time of her death. Another was the mother of three adult children, some grandchildren and a friend of the sisters in that she often came to our Motherhouse for Mass. She found it so peaceful that as she was near her dying she arranged to have the funeral in our chapel.
In each case there was a dinner for the family and the sisters. the family was invited to stay as long as they needed. That sense of hospitality at the time of death is not new to us. Catherine had a sense of what that means even in her own dying and death. We just continue the tradition in our own way, serving coffee, if tea is not needed, using our best "Mercy dishes and silverware" and having the Sisters serve the family.
For so many the vigil surrounding the death of these two wonderful people caused many to be very weary; family members stying around the clock, Sisters keeping vigil. To offer hospitality at the time of great weariness , even in our own weariness is part of what it means to be Mercy.
As we approach the anniversary (Nov. 11)of Catherine's death, we recall as if it were yesterday, "see that the sisters have a comfortable cup of tea." Today, this weekend, to whom can you give a "comfortable cup of tea", either literally or figuratively?
www.sistersofmercy.org
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