November 26, Reign of Christ A (Matthew 25:31-46)

In his younger days, my father was something of a walking miracle. He survived a host of death-dealing events, among them a fall through the ice, a rattlesnake bite, a massive exposure to rabies, and a double diagnosis of melanoma (not all at the same time, of course!).

In his fifties he came back from a stroke. At 60 something, he convinced his doctors to release him from the hospital only two and a half days after quadruple bypass surgery. At 71, just a few months after his pelvis was crushed beneath the wheels of a passenger van, he was back to work, lecturing at the veterinary school and advising local ranchers on best practices to keep their livestock healthy. He finally quit his job at age 78, but only because his employer offered an early retirement bonus.

In his early eighties, however, he was stricken by a neurological illness called Lewy body dementia (the same disease that afflicted comedian Robin Williams). Before long my active, energetic father was confined to a hospital bed at home. As the disease progressed, his hands contracted like claws, which we stuffed with wads of cloth to prevent the fingernails from gouging holes in his palms. Unable to turn or shift his body, he was powerless even to scratch his own nose. Cognitive abilities deteriorated in tandem with the physical decline. When he could no longer swallow, the palliative care nurse showed us how to dip a sponge in juice and hold it to his lips.