Deacon Tom Anthony

A Shared Moment

The other day I was given a precious gift from a most unexpected source. It was a story about someone discovering their faith, losing their faith, then rediscovering it again. This all came from what was expected to be a normal discussing between two individuals while conducting business of the day. Of all places, it was at a bank. I needed to address some issues with my account with the bank manager and walked in one afternoon not expecting that it was going to be a transforming experience.

I will call the bank manager Eric. We exchanged greetings and conducted our business. During the meeting I asked him how was his Easter. He told me that it was quiet and mentioned that he had lost his grandmother several months ago and he was still trying to get over it. She was like a mother to him and in many ways he was finding it difficult that she was not with him anymore. He then stopped and looked at me. “You know, I haven't really talked about this to anyone except for one of my friends.” I asked him how old she was and he said 96. She was energetic and outgoing until the very end.

He then explained that she went to the hospital for a heart attack. She had over a 90% blockage but because of her age they were not going to operate. They were just going to stabilize her and then send her home. The doctors felt that she was in no real danger of dying. It was all about maintaining her health and condition. Her response to the doctors was very different. She looked at them and said, “No, it is my time.” She was preparing herself to die. The doctors disagreed with her statement and dismissed her observations.

The next day, her health started to decline rapidly and it was realized that what she had said was true: she was dying. The family gathered together including Eric. He described her last moments as peaceful, painless, and dignified. He held her hand up until her last moments and felt the life leaving her body. At one point it felt to Eric like she was struggling and he whispered to her, “Its okay, you can leave now.” It was right then that she died. She quietly slipped away.

Eric said that it was beautiful. She died on her own terms in her own time with no pain and suffering. She was able to say goodbye to the ones she loved and they were there to be with her. Eric, who had a special relationship with her, was alone with her during her final moments. Because of this experience, Eric said that he regained his faith and wasn't afraid to die anymore. He wanted to die the way that she died. This was when both of us started to cry.

Eric told me that this wasn't the first profound faith experience he has had. Many years ago he was shot and was bed-ridden for months. The recovery was brutal and put a strain on his marriage and family. He felt helpless and a burden to everyone that he loved. He wanted to end the pain and suffering. He wanted to die.

One night he began to pray fervently. He prayed for God to let him die. He lost the will to live. He described to me how he even positioned himself in his bed like he would be laid out in a coffin. He was actually preparing himself for death. When he finally faded off to sleep, he had a vision. Jesus Christ was over him; inches from his face. He felt warm all over and the pain ceased. His spirit leaped for joy and there was an overwhelming feeling of love. The next morning the pain lessened and he knew that he was meant to live. He recovered quickly after that and he realized that Our Lord Jesus Christ visited him for that reason: he was meant to live. He received the encouragement and strength to overcome his obstacles and challenges.

He told me that his faith remained a powerful force in his life until his marriage ended because of his wife cheating on him. This shattered him and caused him to turn away from God. It was the experience with his grandmother that brought him back. I mentioned that it was beautiful to have the experiences that he had with Christ working in his life in so many different ways. It is amazing that, because of our nature, we can be witnesses to many different miracles and encounters with Christ and yet turn away from him when we encounter a crisis. This is an example about how fragile we really are.

Christ never leaves us. It is we who turn away from Christ. He is always there to lead us back. We just have to let him do it. Eric is a true testament to this fact. He is a “regular guy” who is also a Child of God just like all of us. Christ doesn't choose who to help and who not to. He is there for all of us. We just have to recognize his presence.

As Eric spoke with me, Christ was amongst us. It was through Christ that Eric gave me the gift of his own spiritual experience. I hope that Eric realizes that he passed a wonderful gift on to me that day. I cannot thank him enough.

Deacon Tom