In our gospel passage, Jesus tells his disciples that "whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple will not want for his reward". In other words, no act of kindness, no matter how small, will go unrewarded.
As disciples of Christ , we are invited to see others as potential disciples, persons who may see Christ in our acts of kindness to them. And, in the true Spirit of one hand not knowing what the other does, these acts should be performed even when the recipients cannot reward us.
I am returning from Rochester after providing a critical incident debriefing and get a phone call in my car. It’s the case manager from my neighbor case manager home care agency who informs me that she has received a notice that Maggie’s Medicaid will be cancelled June 30th. She says she doesn’t understand why Medicaid informed her with only two days notice. This is outrageous since Maggie has been receiving this benefit for over a decade. Why is it being terminated? Maggie’s has one sister and I am her advocate when it comes to helping get her benefits like food stamps, a wheelchair, emergency life alert necklace, or her cell phone doesn’t work. The case manager suggests to contact social services. In the meantime, I call Maggie’s sister and learn that they had filled out some forms and took them to social services a month ago. What the paperwork was all about she had no idea?
I called social services and of course you get a voicemail to leave a message that says keep it short be and leave a number. “Margaret J., Medicaid cut off in two days, please help, call my number.”
Now I call in reinforcements and send a prayer to her guardian angels. My reply was a voice mail from social services. Sorry we can’t talk to you because of HIPPA. The privacy laws prevent this worker from discussing her case with me. So, I fax her a power of attorney and wait again to discuss her case. I get a call from her sister who shares that the social service case worker called her to explain that the cancellation was a mistake. Maggie is not losing her Medicaid. I get a return call from social service who tells me to wait till 10am tomorrow to call back her home care rep that her Medicaid benefits will not be terminated. I look at my cell phone and the clock reads 3:59pm. Thank you angels.
Just as our Lord noted in today's gospel, an act of kindness need not be something done on a grand scale, but something as little as a glass of cold water. All that is needed is some thoughtfulness, with a dash of understanding and compassion thrown in for good measure.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends grateful to Brad who repaired the basement light, Susie who donated the bird seed, Denny who shared his homemade maple syrup, Jeff who repaired the broken tractor, John who cut down the fallen trees. Your acts of kindness keep me safe and sound. May your acts of kindness bring a smile to all you touch by your thoughtfulness and compassion.
