In Sickness and In Health


I want to share a beautiful story with you about an elderly couple named Aristedes and Aurora who live right here in Buenos Aires. I have had the honor to watch them grow in their Catholic faith since I met them about six months ago when I first arrived in this pueblo. I consider them my family here in Peru. Many times when I ache for the company of my earthly parents who are now with God, I find comfort in their friendship and emotional support. I am amazed by how much God has worked in their lives in such short time but it is because they have been open and have completely surrendered their lives over to him.

Last Sunday, they finally received God's blessing on their marriage and it was quite a moving experience to witness! Aristedes is the 77 year old groom and he is disabled. He is in constant back pain due to being thrown off a horse about 20 years ago while he was working on his chacra (farm). His arms and legs are numb most of the time and he cannot walk on his own. His wife Aurora has to assist him to walk in and out of the humble, adobe home they live in. He is usually standing or sitting outside of his house for hours during the day but he is always ready to greet you with a smile. Aurora is his 70 year old bride with child-like faith and a cheerful disposition! I admire her constant joy, selflessness, hard work and sacrifice in the midst of her husband's suffering. Life for them is not easy! She has to assist him with all of his basic functions such as giving him his medication, helping him walk to the bathroom, take a shower, and eat. She does all of it with such kindness and love! And he suffers so patiently and with such a humble spirit as he allows his wife to care for him. I cannot imagine his frustration at not being able to work and provide for his wife the way he did when he was healthy. The other day that I stopped by to visit them, Aurora was outside chopping wood to build a fire to cook their meals so I took a picture of her in action. 



Their desire to receive God's blessing on their marriage was such a testimony to the people here for so many reasons. We had to have the groom picked up from his home by a Motokar (a motorcycle with a seat attached to the back) and wheeled into the Church in reverse then he was practically carried by two men and placed into the chair he would sit in throughout the whole mass. The mass was longer than normal because 30 people received sacraments that same day. Babies, children, teens and adults were baptized and some even received first communion and Confirmation. While all of this was taking place, Aristedes and Aurora quietly sat through the whole mass without complaining or uttering a word. Finally, at the end it was their turn to receive the sacrament of holy matrimony. 

Here were these two people who had been together for more than fifty years that raised seven kids together but yet they knew this was not enough. God had so much more in store for them and they accepted that tremendous gift of the sacrament of marriage with open hearts! In order to prepare them for marriage, one of the awesome ladies on my mission team (Candice) went to their house and gave them five marriage talks. What a beautiful example this elderly couple gave to the rest of our pueblo that day! They chose to have their union blessed by God and received a sacrament that allowed God's graces to be poured out on them and their children and their children's children! God is so good that he blesses many generations when a person fears him and keeps his commandments. 



As I sat and watched Father bless their marriage, I could not help but to think back on their spiritual journey and how the Lord has been working mighty things in this couple's life. Last July, Aristedes gave us a scare! We had a medical mission here in our pueblo and when the Spanish Doctor examined him in his home, she thought he had cancer in his abdominal area. We rushed him to the closest hospital in Tarapoto an hour away to have him checked. It was quite a process but the Lord provided at every step of the way. He gave us kind and helpful drivers, a wheelchair to use at the hospital, a great doctor and provided the funds that allowed us to transport Aristedes and Aurora back and forth for two days to the hospital in the city where they could perform an endoscopy. We all prayed very hard and asked God for a miracle! We did not know how they would take the news if he did have cancer. But we were told that all cancer patients have to fly to Lima and that the treatment is not very good. We prayed for his healing and the Lord faithfully answered our prayers! The Doctor came out minutes after the exam and told us that he only had a bad case of gastritis. We thanked the Lord for his mercy and kindness. In that stressful experience, I witnessed this couple's unwavering faith and complete trust in God! 


And it was that same faith that led them to choose God's path for their salvation and they were able to respond to his call on their hearts. Every part of their wedding ceremony was such a blessing to see. Two of the ladies on my mission team ended up being the witnesses and we all ended up collaborating in some way. Two of us bought the simple wedding rings and the other two bought the wedding cake. Then it was time for Father to bless the wedding rings.
Due to the groom's lack of mobility in his hands, Father Paco had to help him put the ring on the bride's finger. It was such a beautiful sight and as the bride's eyes welled up with tears so did mine and I don't think I was the only one! 



We knew they could not afford to celebrate so we invited the bride and groom over to our house after mass to celebrate with a small wedding cake. It was such a wonderful moment that we were able to share with them! We watched them feed a little piece of wedding cake to each other. This amazing couple had their marriage blessed and they know what it means to love each other in sickness and in health. Aristedes later told me that his son who died young had asked them to get married in the Church before he died. This was his last wish for them. How beautiful! At the end every soul knows the most important thing is to be right with God! I told Aristedes that his son was looking down and smiling on them! After our little celebration ended, one of the men that was baptized kindly offered to take Aristedes and Aurora home in his Motokar for free. It was the perfect act of charity between people that received sacraments on the same day!



Aristedes and Aurora are very poor. Sometimes they don't have enough food to eat and the house they live in is not their own. The bride told me the day they were married that none of her seven children keep in touch with them so they did not know their parents were finally married in the Church that day. They may have been forgotten by their children but NOT by their heavenly Father! Truly they have chosen to store up riches in heaven. They are rich by God's standards because they are rich in Faith!



 They have taught me so much about what it means to love selflessly, trust in God's providence and to have a spirit of gratitude. They may not know what they will eat that day but they know God is taking care of them and they praise him at every chance they get. Lord, please give me a humble heart that trusts completely in YOU! I want to have child-like faith like the poor because that is what is needed to enter heaven. 



       
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."     ~Matthew 18:3

  

  

Comments

Popular Posts