Body
Those suffering with illness or injury are often doubly afflicted, suffering the primary pain or discomfort of their illness or injury as well as the secondary pain of being isolated or cut off from normal humans. When we know of someone who is sick or injured, one of the first things that you can do to establish contact is to send them a card or a brief note to simply let them know that you are thinking of them and that you care. Then, find out if they want to have visitors, and when it would be convenient for you to visit. Before visiting, ask is there is anything that they need, and when visiting consider bringing a small gift, such as a magazine or the newspaper. During your visit, especially if it is crowded or there are others wanting to see them, you should not stay too long. In addition, you should not be afraid to talk about the person’s illness or injury, unless they signal that they would rather not talk about it. If they are in the hospital for a long time, you could visit them periodically and you should not forget about them after you go home. Like every corporal work of mercy, visiting the sick is about attending to the needs of those less fortunate than us, so you should be attentive to those needs, and ask the person what they need. Finally, pray for the sick, and even offer to pray a short prayer with the sick person.