Hospital Visiting, A Mitzvah

Imelda and I visited a client-friend of ours today at the Lourdes Hospital. We brought some cheers and prayed for her immediate healing from God.... Visiting the sick can be awkward. Often we are at a loss for something to say or kind of afraid we might say the wrong thing! ... For Christians, visiting the sick is not just a polite thing to do. But in the eyes of Christ, it is an important ministry. Jesus affirmed the care of the sick in His words -- "I came not to be served, but to serve and to give my life." "I was sick and you visited me." Thus, we visit to meet the needs of the other, not to meet our own needs.... Hospital visiting is "Mitzvah," that's a Hebrew word meaning "commandment for meritorious acts." It does good both to the one visited and the one visiting.