I was asked to introduce the subject of sacraments in relation to people living with various disabilities. The topic is vast and its dimensions so varied that I must confine myself to some fundamental reflections.
First, I recall words from one of my theology professors. He told us: "The sacraments are the gestures of Christ that extend to us through his Church." That statement captures their whole significance.
Christ's gestures for all
We know the special care Jesus showed to sick and disabled people he encountered on the roads, in the cities and villages of Palestine. During his brief public life, he devoted constant attention to them and gave a considerable portion of his time to their needs. The Church can only "extend" these "gestures of Christ" — which are, in a most particular way, the sacraments — to its weakest members today. Can we not say that it is precisely the weakest who have a kind of priority claim to them?
«If you knew the gift of God» (John 4:10)
«If you knew the gift of God»(John 4:10)
We know also that the different sacraments respond to the fundamental needs of our life as God's children, to which every human being is called: Baptism answers to birth, Confirmation to the moment of growth, the Eucharist to our need for nourishment, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick to spiritual and bodily healing; Marriage and Holy Orders to the capacity God gives us to transmit life and his Life. These needs exist in every human being, whether they possess what is called normalcy or not. Our brothers and sisters who are ill or disabled are not exempt from them; quite the opposite. In many of them these needs are far stronger. Their families are the first to recognize this. "Why not me?" asks a boy when he learns of his cousin's first Communion. Yet he is severely troubled. "I want the little bread," a girl with severe mental disability asks me again and again. "God's Bread," pleads Francesca, who is almost unable to speak, her voice rough with longing. Another girl, who has undergone serious brain surgery and cannot speak at all, shows the same desire by wanting to accompany her mother to Communion and receive it with her.
And let no one say this happens merely through imitation! How many tears did this adolescent, herself severely disabled, shed in her longing for Baptism, which her family had resisted for so long! And what joy for another when she received the light and strength of the Spirit of Love in Confirmation!
The sacraments are, by theological definition, "sensible signs" through which spiritual action is both signified and produced by means of a "instrument" — words, gestures, that is, concrete, visible and tangible realities (such as water, bread, oil, etc.). This makes them particularly perceptible (in the true sense of the word) and desirable to children and adults, even those severely afflicted in body and mind. We have countless evidence of this.
It remains true that this "accessibility" will vary depending on many factors. But fundamentally the sacrament is — especially for our brothers and sisters who suffer — one of the most striking and moving manifestations of the esteem, love and respect with which the Church turns toward them.
Arguments against
We must then resist with all our strength the "arguments against" that are most easily raised. I will address two in particular.
First is the objection: "They don't understand." When I hear these words, I always want to respond: "And are you absolutely certain that you do?" I think of a girl with Down syndrome whom I know well. She has heart problems, is losing her hearing, and perhaps her sight. Recently her parents presented her to their bishop asking him to give her Confirmation. She had already received her First Communion two years earlier, and her piety had edified every member of the parish. The bishop, with whom I have stayed in touch since that day, told me: "I saw the girl you sent me. She is remarkable. She knows more than most of the faithful in our parishes. I will certainly give her Confirmation!"
There is another "argument against." We are told: "You risk influencing them. The sick and disabled are dependent and at your mercy." These words show, once again, a failure to know disabled people. Very often a young person who is paralyzed, blind, or deaf reasons like able-bodied young people their age — often more deeply. And in the same way they are capable of stubborn refusal or positive assent. This happens among young people with mental illness or cognitive disabilities too. A mother tells me about her psychotic son: "He no longer wants to receive Communion." I will certainly try to gently understand the reasons for this refusal. But there are other young people who first refuse, then, after reflection, ask to receive Communion. I think of a mentally troubled adolescent who refused even to get out of the car the day his parents brought him to me for catechesis. Now when he enters the small chapel where he joyfully received his First Communion, his face shines with happiness. But we had to grant him the honor of believing in that measure of freedom that is his own, and we had to respect it.
Some basic pedagogical guidelines
To conclude, I propose some fundamental pedagogical guidelines:
- First, let us take care to present the sacraments well and what they represent. Each one deserves infinite respect and allows us to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of the risen Christ, victor over death and source of life. This holds true even in the most humble confession.
Above all, do not present the sacraments as a reward. A sacrament is never a gift earned by changing an undesirable behavior or by effort made during a physical therapy session.- Always ensure that — except in cases of extreme urgency —
- there is always some preparation before receiving a sacrament. Even with children most severely afflicted and bedridden, I have never failed to provide preliminary contact with all those about to receive First Communion, or be baptized or confirmed. Even when I did not know what the child had truly "received," I believed they had a right to my special attention, to some of my time, and to my word. And those around them — parents, educators, catechists — thought the same.
- Finally, let us be very careful to put in perspective the importance of the "festive context" of a sacrament: for example, that of First Communion or Confirmation.