Praying with patients

A relevant way how patients can be ministered to while hospitalised is by praying with them. Sometimes patients might tell us both directly and indirectly to pray with them.

As caring visitors, we need to be attentive to and gently respond to their spiritual needs. What are the characteristics of praying with patients? How do we pray with them? Here are several tips to those who visit hospital patients regularly.

Patients tend to get tired after a substantial time talking. As visitors, we are not to tire them ourselves, thus increasing their suffering. This also applies to prayer. Prayer should be as brief as possible.

Caring visitors show they care for the patients by praying with them. The Patient immediately feel relieved and "touched" by God when the visitors pray with and for them on the main issues raised during the conversation. The patient feels that s/he was really being listened to. A spontaneous prayer that encompasses the patient's concerns is comforting and brings a lot of healing. Spontaneity need not necessarily run the show. Therefore, if the patient appreciates the rosary, scripture reading more, or an Our Father, we, as caring visitors, are to offer what is most meaningful.

Prayer can be effective only if we have listened to the patient during the conversation we had with her/him. It is useless pretending to have the patient pray with us, if we are not loving, caring and disciplined enough to forget ourselves and concentrate our hearing, seeing and being on the patient.

In listening empathically to patients and in putting their needs in prayer, the patients feel they are not alone. They start to realise that God loves them so much that He has come by their bedside to offer them comfort, strength and company.