Saturday 9 July 2016

请神父到医院为病者傅油的提示

当你请神父前往医院去为病者傅油时,应当有以下几点考量:

1)当你请神父前往医院时,应让神父知道病人患的是何种疾病。这可让神父确定傅油圣事是必须的,还是需要的,同时也可依情况来决定是否要执行和好圣事及送圣体。

2)最妥当的就是请你常去的、或参与堂区的神父,来执行傅油圣事。这是为了让堂区神父可自行执行傅油圣事,或者是如需要的话,他们可请邻近的神父代为执行圣事。

3)在一般情况下,神父会前往并执行病人傅油圣事。但有的时候,尤其是病者是刚加入该堂区,没几位认识该病者,他可能会被要求提供领洗证明。这是为了确保傅油圣事对该病人是有效执行的。

4)家人或近亲应在医院现场。这是为了确保不会因为病人傅油而引起不必要的麻烦,如操之过急的医院警卫,或严谨的医护人员为难去探访病者的神父。尤其是在过了探访时间,或者是紧急情况下,病人急需傅油。

5)在有的医院,要寻找停车位是非常困难的事。家人或近亲应载送神父前往医院,并由另一个人邻神父到病房去为病人傅油。

6)请确保家人或近亲的电话是可联络到的。曾有情况是该家人或近亲的电话是打不通的,有可能是关机了,或是不在通讯范围内。

7)在情况允许之下,当家人或近亲不在医院内时,应通知神父,并告之他们何时才会在场。

8)有的时候,病者可能已经出院、换了病床、换去别的医院部门,甚至是换去别家医院了。在这种情况下,应当通知神父,以免神父白跑一趟。

9)如果病人患的是传染性的疾病,家人或近亲该让神父知道,并提供保护性的衣物给那些靠近病者的人。有的时候,神父只能在控制疾病传染的病房外给予降福。尤其是当该种疾病是具有危险性的,就算是穿上保护性衣物也可能会被传染。

10)当神父在执行病人傅油圣事时,家人或近亲应控制自己的情绪,和避免过度反应。保持乐观及开朗,将有助于使气氛增添希望,缓和病者的痛楚。

愿良善的主能赐予安慰和医治那些患病和寻求傅油者,以让他们能体验到祂的平安及治愈。

Friday 8 July 2016

Requesting Sacrament of Anointing in Hospital: Some Tips

When you request for a priest to come and administer the Sacrament of Anointing to a sick person in hospital, there are a few things to consider:

1. When you call for a priest, do let him know what sort of sickness the sick person is suffering from. This is so that the priest can determine whether the Sacrament of Anointing is necessary or needed, and also to determine whether other Sacraments such as the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Communion may be administered.

2. It is usually best that you contact the parish you go to or are involved in to ask for a priest to come administer the Sacrament of Anointing. This is so that the parish priest(s) could either administer the Sacrament of Anointing themselves, or where necessary they may seek help from other priests nearby to administer the Sacrament.

3. In most cases, the priest would go and administer the Sacrament of Anointing to the sick person. However, in some situations, especially if the sick person is new to the parish and few know about the sick person, further information such as a recent baptism certificate may be requested. This is to ensure that the Sacrament of Anointing could be validly administered to the sick person.

4. There should be a family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person at the hospital. This is to ensure that there are no complications in getting to anoint the sick person, as some overzealous hospital security guards or certain strict hospital personnel have made it difficult for a priest to see the sick person, especially when it is outside visiting hours, or there is an emergency and the sick person urgently needs anointing

5. In some hospitals, it is extremely tough to get a place to park. It may be advisable for a family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person to drive the priest to the hospital and arrange for another person to meet the priest and see to it that the sick person is accessible for anointing.

6. Please ensure that the phone number of the contact person of the family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person is in working order. There have been situations where the family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person could not be contacted, as the phone is supposingly switched off or not within the service range.

7. Where possible, and if there is no family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person at the hospital, the priest should be advised when and what time the family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person would be present.

8. In some situations, the sick person may have been discharged, moved to another bed, to a different hospital ward, or even to another hospital. If that is the case, the priest should be informed so that he would not end up going to the hospital only to find that the sick person is missing.

9. If the sick person is suffering from a contagious disease, then the family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person should inform the priest and see that the necessary protective clothing be made available for those present and near the sick person. In some cases, the priest may only be able to give a blessing outside the containment area, especially if the disease is too dangerous for anyone to be exposed to, even with protective clothing.

10. While the priest is performing the anointing, it is suggested that the family member, next of kin, or someone who is close to the sick person check their feelings and not over-react. Staying positive and cheerful could help brighten the atmosphere and alleviate some of the suffering being experienced by the sick person.

May the good Lord give comfort and healing to all our faithful who are sick and seek anointing, so that they would experience His peace and healing.

Quotes and Anecdotes Throughout Ministry (The Story of our Lives so far)

Having been a priest for several years, I have from time to time come up with interesting quotes from different sources. Some of these quote...