“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." ~ Mark 16:16
Her night shift begins and ends
the same way - a changing of the guard.
Two nurses, one from the incoming shift and another from the outgoing, circulate
through the NICU, studying records detailing treatments in the last 12 hours. They visit each infant and discuss what still
needs doing.
With the handoff complete,
Veronika returned to each incubator to prepare them for the evening as a
glorious sunset poured through the windows.
Veronika said a silent prayer every night on her walk from
the parking structure: “Lord, be my hands, my eyes and my brain. Guide me in everything I do to keep these little
ones safe.”
His young mother remained stoic throughout the experience. Veronika felt helpless waiting next to her
for the inevitable to happen; short term comfort care only.
The grieving mother told Veronika she wanted to have her
baby baptized before ‘he was gone.’ The
nurse immediately called the hospital’s Chaplain, thankful to finally feel like
she was doing something useful. He
didn’t answer.
She called every chaplain on the list. No one answered in the middle of the night. Veronika returned to the mom and explained
that she’d failed to locate anyone officially qualified. The ritual would have to wait until morning.
Just then Veronika heard an unmistakable subliminal voice
shouting, “NOW!” She asked Mom if were
OK for her to baptize the child. She
readily agreed.
Holding a baby bottle of sterile water in one hand and the tiny
infant in the other, she poured a bit of water on the dying boy’s forehead saying:
“I baptize you, Manuel, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.“ Before she could
say “Amen,” he died.
Veronika dried him off before handing him back to his
mother. She held Manuel for a short
while, and wrapped him in the soft blanket given by her church before returning
him to the incubator. There was a purity
to him; love given and received.
The two hugged and cried.
In that moment, Veronika fully appreciated what it meant to
be in ‘His Hands.’
It’s likely that you’ve been placed in someone’s life for
the salvation of a soul. Even if you
don’t know them, pray for the ‘hard cases’ - the lost sheep
and the souls farthest from God’s grace. Make it a daily habit to say the traditional
“Angel of God” prayer and entrust all your intentions to the Lord at your side,
particularly the spiritual needs of those you love:
“Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom
God’s love commits me here. Ever this
day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and guide.” Amen
