To be present with people in their suffering

The coronavirus is not respectful of persons. It affects the young and old, the poor and the rich, the presidents and politicians, law enforcement personnel and firefighters, and the chaplains and ministers. We hear a lot about the difficult work of the medical workers in treating this virus, but we hear very little about the other men and women who are too often facing the same difficulties.

Bari Weiss, a writer for the New York Times, recently wrote an article entitled, “The Men and Women Who Run Toward the Dying.” Ms. Weiss correctly points out that while very few people run toward the dying, chaplains do. They ministered to the sick before this pandemic turned their hospitals into war zones, and they will continue when it subsides. Doctors and nurses focus on healing the physical; chaplains are there for everything else.

Chaplains are men and women from every religious background and none. Their job is not to convert people to believe in God. Some don’t even believe in God themselves. Their job, in the words of the Rev. Kaylin Milazzo, a palliative care chaplain at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, is “to be present with people in their suffering.” Theirs is a ministry of presence.

Normally, chaplains are found in hospital settings at a patient’s bedside, holding a patient’s hand, counseling them and their family members, singing with them, crying with them, hugging them, offering the Eucharist, or a prayer for healing. None of that is available now.

There are no masks and gowns for chaplains, so they are not allowed into patients’ rooms. And the sickest patients cannot speak because of the tubes in their mouths; and in some instances, they are simply unconscious. Some chaplains have stood outside the door of a patient’s room using a telephone to communicate with his or her family, carefully describing what is happening and voicing encouragement. Some chaplains have also fallen victim to the virus because they dared to go where it was dangerous. Too often, their sickness also has severe consequences.

We hear a lot about medical people and their needs, and rightfully so; but have you ever wondered who notifies a family whenever a virus victim dies? It is one of the most heartbreaking jobs a chaplain has, for it is not easy to call someone on the telephone and tell them that there is no good news today; your family member (or friend) just died very quickly. Chaplains do this on a regular basis, but it is far more difficult during pandemic days.

Most of the chaplains in Northwest Arkansas are hunkered down like everyone else trying to escape the deadly claws of this microscopic enemy. However, some are still active in hospitals, hospice settings, and other caring places. Special attention has been given to our jails where, if one prisoner gets coronavirus, the chances of it spreading throughout the entire prison community is highly probable. While I cannot speak for all of our Arkansas prisons, the Benton County Jail located at the Sheriff’s Office is essentially locked down. No one from the outside is allowed in, not the jail ministers, pastors, or other escorted people. Chaplains are allowed in only to deliver death notifications and for emergencies. The Bible lessons, prayer sessions and religious encouragement are at a standstill. There are prisoners waiting to be baptized, but they will have to wait.

Yes, it is very important to pray for our medical personnel and for everyone who is involved in caring for people made sick by the coronavirus; but it also is important to pray for the chaplains who, too often, put their own lives in jeopardy while ministering. Pray also for law enforcement officers, firefighters (all in Arkansas

are medically trained), and those people working behind the scenes in our hospitals and care centers — e.g. nurse’s aids, cleaning people, laundry workers, clerks and secretaries, etc. Too often they are forgotten, but they, too, run the risk of exposure. Firefighters and law enforcement officers are first responders but think about their risks when asked to take care of someone with coronavirus, especially if they do not have adequate equipment.

I know of a church group that gathers weekly in their church’s parking lot to pray for the end of this virus and for all of those affected by it. They never leave their cars, but their prayers are heard by the God Who loves us all. We need to join them in our prayers.