Whatever the priest thinks about his role, this role is as if prescribed to him and imposed by life, because if he is a pastor, that is, if he really cares about the those people whom God has entrusted to him, he will certainly be called when some kind of crisis has arisen, whether it is an illness, whether it is the impending death of someone in the family. And illness is one of the most serious crises because it confronts a person with a number of propositions, about which the healthy person is more He doesn't think part. Firstly, the illness clearly tells him that he is mortal. I I am not talking about a transient cold, but when a person falls ill at all seriously, then, rightly or wrongly, the thought creeps in: it means that I am I have no power over myself, I cannot prevent illness from taking possession of me, so I if she takes possession of me completely, I will not be able to escape death... This is the first question, which, perhaps, is not so vividly formulated, but something like this penetrates into the human consciousness.

That is, he not only needs a pastor then, but is also especially open?

He is especially open if the pastor is able to help him express these feelings. If the pastor comes up to him and says: "Look, you are sick now, you must understand that illness may be followed by death..." — then, of course, A person withdraws. I had experience in this regard.

During the war, there was a Catholic priest in our unit who believed that any wounded soldier or officer can die at any moment, and the only As a pastor, his task is to find the wounded and give him communion: since he communion, let him die in peace... He came to every wounded man, stood at the foot of the bed and looked at him for a long time. After a while, this the unfortunate man began to fidget, to worry: "What's the matter, why are you so at me Look?" – "You're wounded, did you look at your temperature?" – "Yes." "She's bad." "Doctors say it's natural." "Doctors always say this to calm the patient. You know that you can die from a small wound if it festers." And so he continued conversation, until he drove the unfortunate wounded man into a corner, confessed, He gave Communion and left, saying to me (then a doctor): Now it's up to you, I'm I have done everything of my own... Of course, if the priest approaches the unfortunate person in this way to the patient, he will only frighten him, he will close. And all too often, when The priest visits the sick person, this is seen as a warning: perhaps death at the doorstep.

But if the priest has experience of illness, either because he himself was sick, or because of the that he was able to see those people who were sick around him (to see - not to see It's as simple as that, it doesn't depend on the fact that you have eyes – you have to be able to look), then even then there is a whole — well, not science, but art. Our Relations with people should be such that our arrival in the house is perceived Simply and with joy. This means that pastoral care for the sick must to begin when people are healthy, to begin with the establishment of simple, friendly Relations.

In order to approach a person in this way, spiritually, one needs a tremendous inner chastity, one must be able to look at a person as an icon, as an icon of a living icon, which you approach with deep respect, with reverence and in relation to which you will act as you would act in the temple according to the attitude to the painted icon. That is, prayerfully, reverently, sensitively, humbly, reverently and listening with all his might to what a person has, that he can to say it himself, but also to what the Holy Spirit does in him. Inner silence priest, his ability to meet a person at some depth, very It is important because illness is the moment of an amazing meeting with a person.

I wonder what you say about silence. So, the question is not only in the word, not only in the external approach, but in the internal attitude to man, which can support and enlighten the patient.

The most important thing is the attitude and your presence, so that the patient I didn't feel that you were just waiting for the moment when you could leave on other business.

I recall an incident from my work in a psychiatric clinic. One The patient spent six months there and never once answered either the doctor or the sisters, nor visiting relatives. I, recalling a conversation with a psychiatrist, I asked the head of the department to give me the opportunity to sit with him. I'm with him I sat for three, four, five, six hours straight without a single word, I just He was sitting, and he was sitting. After ten days or two weeks, he suddenly turned to me and said: "Why are you sitting with me all these days and hours, what's the matter?" His recovery began thanks to the fact that he was able to talk to someone. This is psychopathological case. Not all of us are pathological cases in the same sense, but we are all closed in on ourselves. Each of us has a core, which we We are afraid to open it to another person. And yet, if we don't open up (I don't I am talking about those depths where only God has the right to look), if a person does not will reveal those depths where the inner struggle between light and darkness takes place, between life and death, between good and evil, then your priestly presence From the point of view of his illness, it will not bring any benefit.

I have a close example of this, however, from my medical work. I remember that during the war, during the first battles, eleven wounded soldiers were brought. This was my first contact with people directly from the battlefield. They were still covered Fear. I thought: I must do for them as soon as possible—for everyone - what I can, so that the next one does not wait too long... I worked as a as soon as possible and sent them to the hospital ward. Then I went there and found that I could not recognize any of them, for I had looked at their wounds—at the breasts, legs, stomach, shoulders, but he did not look at faces, none of them was wounded in the face. And they all remained in a state of shock because they didn't outlived. When the next group of wounded was brought, I, who had been taught the first experience, I decided, working with my hands, to talk to them (you can do it with my hands very much). a lot while you talk and look at a person). I looked everyone in the face and He asked questions, then, looking, of course, at his hands and at his wounds, he did what he did. what you need. I asked: "What is your name? Where were you wounded? Was it very scary?" The questions are simple, but such that the wounded have time to do it while I tell them I practice, to pour out my fear, to pour out my horror. And when I then visited the ward, Firstly, I recognized all the wounded by sight and, secondly, I found out that they were in shock passed, because in our short conversation they managed to pour out their feelings.

Everything you say indicates a different pace of life. At the bedside We must act wiser than usual: speak more calmly, act cautiously, and meekly...