大象传媒

Good morning.听 This week I have been reflecting on the fact that it is thirty years since I was captured and kept as a hostage in Beirut.听 Many people in the world have suffered far more than I have but I did face some deprivations.听 For almost the whole of that time I was chained to the wall in solitary confinement and therefore lacked exercise.听 I did my best to maintain good physical health and prayed that I would not fall prey to illness.听 On the whole, despite a meagre diet and lack of fresh air and exercise, I did reasonably well except toward the very end of my incarceration when I became very ill with a severe bronchial infection.
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For the final few weeks of captivity I was moved out of solitary and put in with other hostages.听 By then the infection had taken hold of me so badly that I could not lie down and had to spend day and night sitting on the floor with my back against the wall fighting for breath.听 They told me that several times I fell unconscious and they thought I was about to die.听 I shall never forget their support and compassion, particularity one very simple action.听 At night, when I could hardly breathe, the American Hostage, Terry Anderson, who was chained near to me, stretched across and simply laid his hand on mine.听 He did not say a word.听 I found this one simple gesture both comforting and calming.听 Often when visiting sick people in hospital I wondered what I might say.听 Now, as a result of this experience, I realized that words did not really matter. What really mattered was the close comforting presence of another human being who cared.
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O Lord, Grant us wisdom and compassion that we may bring calm to those troubled in body, mind or spirit.
Amen.