Chaplain of the Chapel of God’s Mercy in Santariškės: it is not the priest who strengthens the patient. Is strengthened by the Lord himself

Christmas is not just about gifts for family and friends, a party table, ornaments or Christmas trees, it is the birthday of Jesus Christ.

On the great holidays of the year, the true meaning of Christmas and spiritual strength Delfi.lt spoke with R. Švenčionis, priest, chaplain of the Chapel of God’s Mercy in Santariškės, who visits coronavirus patients.

– This holiday period is different, we will also be forced to celebrate the great holidays of the year in a different way. What is that St. The meaning of Christmas and how to remember it in this turbulent and truly sad time?

– This period is very difficult for people. Easter is celebrated unusually, now the same awaits Christmas. They are the main parties in which relatives and loved ones gather. When we lose this opportunity to communicate, tensions and stress arise, things seem strange, not as they should be. But there is one very important thing that is especially meaningful to a believer who understands that celebrations are not just a gathering at a table, buying gifts, looking at garlands and Christmas trees. All that is needed is fine. But now is the time when a person can most remember the true meaning of Christmas and whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, it is His celebration.

Are we forgetting the Main Person of these parties? Have we prepared a gift for you? The best gift for Jesus is man’s desire to be with Christ and not deny Him. Unfortunately, in the noise of the world, in the whirlwind of worries, people forget the true meaning of Christmas and push the Lord into a second or third background. It is very important that at this difficult time people want to rediscover God, let him enter their hearts.

In the early ages of Christianity, people in Egypt went to the desert, distancing themselves from the world to be with God and rediscover Him there. A period of pandemic can be an opportunity for us to go out into the spiritual desert, an opportunity to look at our values, our lives differently, to purify what is truly important and eternal. The desert is not a hospitable area, there is little life and the danger is great. But it is in that desert, in silence, where we are with ourselves and where God is discovered who never abandons man. We are not alone, even if our loved ones are not around, the Lord always takes care of us, extends the hand of communion to all.

– Now we are going through a time when it is very difficult to discover spiritual strength. What can we learn from faith? Maybe we can get the strength we so badly need from him now?

– For a believer, the answer is unequivocal: God gives strength. It is an eternal source of life that never runs out. Not by our merits, but in vain, only by His grace the Lord sustains each person. If God forgot about the world for a moment, the entire universe would cease to exist.
I can advise a believer to give and put all the worries of the heart, the afflictions, the pains, all the pain and the situation that is now there, at the feet of Jesus. Just to say: no matter how difficult it is for me, I look at you suffering on the cross, you redeemed me, you see and know how I feel, I give myself everything to you, hide me in your wounds.

Of course, prayer is what strengthens the believer, because prayer is our connection, our relationship, our conversation with God. Prayer is the attachment of the soul to the Lord. The Holy Apostle John, a beloved disciple of Jesus, had his head resting on the chest of Christ at the Last Supper, so that in prayer we feel like a beloved disciple supported by Jesus.

– Some of the Christmas traditions cannot be nurtured due to the current epidemiological situation this year, for example, we cannot visit the church during St. Masa. What would you advise to do? How not to lose those traditions?

– For others and for your own safety, go to St. The dough can’t. But there is radio, television, internet. Of course, I really want to feel and experience these things live. The doors of the church are not closed, the priests hear confessions, give St. Communion at Mass.

Advent is a time of abstinence, sacrifice, austerity. Therefore, putting this situation in the hands of God can also be our spiritual sacrifice.

It would be very nice not only to decorate a Christmas tree at home, but also to make a handmade one with your own hands. I think children would love to do it with their parents. We can be interested in the lives of the saints at this time. Who is Saint Nicholas when it comes to Christmas? To open the Scriptures on the Christmas or Christmas table, read the chapter on the birth of Jesus in the New Testament. Being able to sit at the party table at the beginning and thank God for the food we have, pray for our loved ones in the family, for the whole world.

– On Christmas Eve, sitting at the table, we break Christmas and share it. Could you remind me what its meaning is? What thoughts and attitudes should be shared?

– Beautiful moment: the whole family sits at a common table and shares the blessed Christmas in church, breaking bread, wishing significant things to the neighbor. It is an expression of Christian love for the other. The spirit of sharing is very important. We need to learn the truth of the gospel: I am not just a person who lives for me, but I share everything I have with another person.

Sitting at the table and breaking Christmas, we must remember that Jesus left us at St. In the form of communion. Simple bread St. At Mass it becomes His Body. In that Communion we receive Christ in integrity with his divine and human nature.

– You are the chaplain of the Santariškės chapel and you visit the COVID-19 patients and give them the sacraments. Is the administration of the sacraments to coronavirus patients different from those with other illnesses?

– The main thing when going to the patient, regardless of the illness that a person has, is to bring him the graces of God. No priest reinforces the sick. It is strengthened by the Lord himself. The sacrament of the sick is a gift of Christ to the sick. Jesus instituted this sacrament to strengthen the strength of the sick body and soul, to sanctify suffering, to restore health, or to win the battle against death.

Sometimes people think that if a priest comes to a patient, the patient will inevitably die. This is not the case. Prayer is above all for health. It happens that there are more sick people in the neighborhood, and when I approach the believer I pray for their spiritual and physical health, and after the sacraments are given, others ask for the anointing of the sick after hearing the words of prayer.

If the moment of death of a person is approaching, the sacraments are important because the believer in the face of death receives forgiveness, the sins of a lifetime are released, the Anointing of the Sick is given, if the sick can receive physically to S. Communion. Man cleanses himself before God. The salvation of the soul is in the first place so that the human spirit can travel directly to the Kingdom of Heaven after God’s judgment, so that it can see God face to face. This is the great grace of God.

– Who supports you personally when visiting patients?

– When I go to the sick, I am not alone. God works in the sacraments, then Jesus touches the sick, all heaven prays together. Our heavenly Mother Mary, all the bright angels and the souls of the saints, pray.

When the pandemic started, Nina, a volunteer from the Santariškės Children’s Hospital, said that she would accompany me in prayer if I had to go to Covid-19. And so the Lord made now there is a great support team: volunteers from the Hospital for Children and Adults of the Santara Clinics, St. The Alpha Course Team of the Church of the Apostles Felipe and Jacob, believers in the Church of Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis, many people on the social network Facebook connect in prayer. For me, this is a great strength: they pray for the sick and for me. I would like to thank you all. God rewards with abundant graces.
The Lord cares for and gives strength and resistance to doctors who care for the sick and give all their strength for the sick. Many believers pray for doctors, they understand their difficult service to others. We are grateful to you! May the blessing of God be with you.

A cozy, calm and healthy vacation filled with the spirit of Jesus.