My niece recently asked my opinion on Protestants (namely Methodists) using Catholic symbols. I essentially said to her, "whatever works."
And then I thought of my old friend, Jim McWhinnie, who seldom posts on Facebook anymore because his battle with Alzheimer's is becoming epic. I've shared several times that, besides being a brilliant minister, he's one of the bravest men I know, in that he's chosen to share his Alzheimer''s experience with us. Here is part of his post from last week. It addresses the Catholic symbols that continue to comfort him.
On my daily prayer stroll, I pray my own version of rosary, a blend of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. As I touch each of the one hundred knots, I pray the Jesus Prayer, "Lord, have mercy on this sinner." In the spaces I sing the Gloria. And each time my fingers touch the cross I pray the Lord's Prayer.
At least ten years before my husband, Ken, died from a number of illnesses including dementia, I began to notice small evidences of strange behavior. One thing that caught my attention was that, after 30 years of ministry, he had The Lord's Prayer typed up and pasted into the front of his Bible. "Humm."
Jim, in last week's posting, goes on to say:
Today...for the first time ever...I struggled to remember the words of the Lord's Prayer. I tried and tried...and for a few moments my soul did panic...but on the last touching of the cross on my rosary, I pieced together the scattered phrases of "Our Father."
So here is a case where, obviously, the physical symbol reminded Jim of what he was about. At the end of his posting he shared this even better news.
But the goodness I experienced as the Spirit of the Lord touched my own spirit was this...I believe I heard the Lord whisper with me..."Be at peace... those words and the spirit of those words have become part and parcel of your soul. When the words seem lost...let the silence take their place."
Thank you, Jim.
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