Caring for someone does not distance you from God

Blessed Emilia lost track of time while caring for an ill sister and ended up missing Mass. It pained her not being able to receive communion, but her lateness had been born from a concrete act of charity. At times we set prayer against service as if God competed with the person in need of help. There are duties that must be properly ordered, but a pious practice can never serve as an excuse to abandon someone who depends on you. Caring with love is also encountering Christ. The inner life is not demonstrated by washing your hands of the sick, but by learning to recognize God just as much at the altar as beside their bed.