Many of my past Christmas holidays were joyful occasions that took place during retreats in the presence of our beloved Master and fellow initiates. But in 2003, even if a retreat had been announced, I would not have been able to attend due to the daily radiation treatments I was receiving as a cancer patient. This situation made me feel lonely during the Christmas season as I drove down the empty streets of my city and into the parking lot of the hospital where I received my daily radiation therapy. But through Master’s infinite mercy, it so happened that I met two elderly patients whose words touched me deeply and helped alleviate my sadness.

Before one of my treatments, a schedule delay caused by a mechanical problem left me and another patient sitting together in the waiting room. The patient told me that she had a tumor next to her liver, and because it was quite large and dangerous to remove surgically, she was receiving radiation treatments to shrink it so that it might become small enough to be operated on. She said that when she was first diagnosed with cancer, she prayed every day to God, asking Hirm to save her liver. But now she simply decided to leave everything to the Lord and stopped praying for a miraculous recovery. She then began to live her life as usual, which made her feel good and added, “When it’s time to die, it means my work on Earth is done, and the Lord will take me Home.”

On the day before Christmas, as I sat down in the waiting room I noticed that I was in the company of two other patients. One was a thin elderly woman who looked very pale. She was telling the other patient that she had not been feeling well for a while. The other patient responded that he was almost done with the first phase of his radiation treatments, during which he felt like he were being dragged through a keyhole. For many, radiation treatments not only cause weakness, but also great pain.

Then suddenly, the woman stood up and walked toward me, and I thought she was leaving the room. Seeing that she was physically weak and walking with difficulty, I reached out my hands to support her. Surprisingly, however, she stopped in front of me and half-knelt down. Then, holding my hands in hers, she gazed at me with compassion and asked, “Is there anything bothering you today?” Although I didn’t know what to say, I found myself telling her that I felt lonely. Next she said something that I will never forget: “Don’t ever feel lonely. The Lord is watching over every one of us all the time. You’re not alone!” She then kissed my hand to make sure I understood her and felt loved, and slowly, with great effort, walked back to her seat.

I now realize that these experiences were Master’s loving arrangements. Because She has blessed our world by elevating its souls, many people, including these patients, now feel a stronger faith in God even though their bodies may be weak, sick and old. They have no fear of death because their souls know that they no longer need to come back to the cycle of rebirth. Once their work on Earth is done, they can go back Home. No words can adequately praise our greatest Master! Thank You, Master, for this wonderful Christmas gift!