This past year, I walked the hospital halls as a chaplain for a major hospital in the inner city. I walked with people as they experienced the most devastating moments of their lives.
Sometimes, simply being present and holding people in their grief is all that is needed. There are no right words to say, no quick fixes. It is in these dark and sorrowful times that, through silence, people can simply be. No one has to name it or express how it feels – people can just feel. People can let the diagnosis sink in. Silent moments are imperative for people to face the horror, experience the sorrow, and begin to heal. Death is beyond our human understanding. People need wordless moments to grasp that.
The hospital houses the sick, the lost, and the despairing. Yet, within these walls, God brings comfort, strength and solace. The hospital is a holy place, and there I find and experience the beauty of sacred, wordless moments.
This message is excerpted from “Sacred spaces that require no words” by Ralen M. Robinson in the July 2018 Café online magazine.
Copyright © 2024 Women of the ELCA. Inquiries for permission to reproduce should be directed to [email protected].