One year, on the feast of Corpus Christi, it had been a busy day. In Tanzania there is not only Mass, but a long procession outside carrying the Blessed Sacrament. I wasn’t able to leave church in Dar Salem until dusk. Just as I was leaving some students came asking if I could visit one of the wards where an elderly woman was asking to receive Communion. So, off we went
As we entered the ward, visiting hours were over, so things were very quiet. Patients were settling in for sleep. The woman I came to visit was sitting in the bed. She was an elderly slight woman with white hair, the image of a typical Tanzanian grandmother. She had fallen at home and broken her hip. She had been in traction and a lot of pain, but was recovering.
When she saw me coming from the distance she raised her voice: “I knew you would come. Today is the feast of the Holy Eucharist and I knew that you would bring me Jesus.”
She then began to sing a beautiful old song in Swahili (originally a Latin song) about the Body & Blood of Christ. Her song echoed throughout the crowded ward stirring the other patients.
After I gave her Communion, all the patients in the ward asked to receive. For those who weren’t Christians, I prayed and gave them a blessing. Despite all of their problems and discomfort, there was so much joy during these precious moments as they all sang and rejoiced. Even the nurses in the ward took notice and came to the old woman’s bedside to join us in prayer and blessing.
She not only received the body of Christ but then became Christ embodied for all who witnessed her joy. It was contagious.
Fr. Mike Snyder
Fr. Mike served many years as a missioner in Tanzania and now is the coordinator of Maryknoll's Short Term Mission Program.