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Vol. 22, No. 1
By David Orr, MTS
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. (Matthew 4:23-24)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5: 1-7)
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:34-36)
Matthew presents the mission of Jesus: to go and teach, proclaim “the good news of the kingdom,” cure “every disease and every sickness among the people.” To whom did he go? To the poor, mourners, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, strangers, the sick, prisoners. Sound familiar? When we remember that Jesus (and we chaplains) are called to this same mission, and that Jesus laid down his life following this call, as Catholic chaplains, can we
ever allow our mission in the current hospital and healthcare context to erode or be abandoned? I think not.
Instead, we must embrace our call to service and move it forward. We must discover new pathways and innovations to meet and overcome the new challenges for our hospitals and healthcare systems. While we may not have the same divine power of Jesus to teach, proclaim, and cure, perhaps we have more power than we think, stemming from our rich Catholic tradition that so values social justice, caregiving, and compassion. Each one of us can have an impact in whatever context we find ourselves, when we follow the mission and call of Jesus outlined above. Since we chaplains are all about sharing stories, let me share a little of mine.
Be sure to read David Orr's poem
"A New Heart," also in this issue.
Over the past year or so, I retired from the U.S. Department of Justice, received a master of theological studies degree from Washington Theological Union, and entered my first unit of clinical pastoral education as a chaplain intern at the University of Virginia Medical Center, an ACPE-accredited program. Today, I was writing my mid-unit evaluation, reflecting on learning “the way” of chaplain training and work, and considering my role thus far as a Catholic in a non-Catholic hospital with no other Catholic chaplains. My supervisor is Mennonite and my intern peer group has a Jew, Unitarian Universalist, Hindu, Anglican, and Baptist. UVA resident colleagues are Episcopalian, Alliance Baptist and Buddhist. In such a setting, one might expect the lone Catholic to be uncomfortable, but I am not. I have found it very stimulating to listen respectfully to other faith perspectives and to share mine. In fact, my Catholic faith has been strengthened by having to reflect more deeply on and explain my faith tradition to those not familiar with it.
Perhaps because I was raised Baptist and became Catholic as an adult, I find mostly common ground on which to minister as Christian alongside my Protestant brothers and sisters. Instead of highlighting our institutional differences, we are able to act toward our patients and one another and to pray together, as Jesus taught us. Except in rare circumstances, I also find that when we start with the patients themselves, respecting their needs for spiritual healing, meeting them where they are on their faith journeys, our compassion melds into one love, as the Holy Spirit works its wonder, becomes incarnate in the person of each caregiver, patient or family. Our collective work becomes expression of the one love that joins us all together, through Christ, by power of the Holy Spirit. As Catholic Christian, I am able to sense God’s action, the Spirit’s great work, among us.
At UVA, although most patients are Baptist or at least non-Catholic, I do encounter Catholic patients and am blessed to be able to meet their unique needs, e.g., for Catholic prayers, rituals, Communion, or even baptism in dire circumstances. I am grateful to meet and minister fairly often to Catholics on my rounds and “on call” in emergency situations. On one occasion, when I was “shadowing” my Mennonite supervisor, we entered the room of a patient and I saw on his wall a prayer card with the image of Jesus whose Sacred Heart was aflame with love. As the patient spoke of his great devotion to Christ and the Sacred Heart, even as his own heart was failing him, I offered to pray aloud with him the prayer on the back of that card. As we left the room, my supervisor told me he would not have known of the prayer on the back of that card, or to use it in that way. Another time, a young Catholic mother who had been hospitalized for many days and was missing her three young children as Thanksgiving approached, asked for Communion and I was able to provide it. Finally, an emergency situation arose in which a mother asked for her child in danger of imminent death to be baptized and I was grateful and happy to do so.
While I feel deeply moved and graced by such encounters, they also cause me to continuously and carefully consider my role, to reflect deeply on my actions, and to grow and develop as a lay minister. I have met with my parish priest and consulted former professors regarding actions and ethics in order to ensure appropriate behavior as a Catholic chaplain. In addition, I am reading about Catholic healthcare ethics to broaden my knowledge and perspective. Also, Protestant patients sometimes ask my faith and when I tell them Catholic, rich discussions ensue. Interestingly, amid illness, pain and suffering, institutional religious barriers diminish in importance, and mere human presence becomes sacred, compassion paramount.
As I contemplate my place in the changing U.S. healthcare landscape, with all its changes, mergers and reduction of Catholic-led institutions, I remain grateful to be Catholic. I am thankful for the hospitals and healthcare agencies established in our name, whose rich tradition of caring for the poor is ours to carry, whose legacy of doors open in love propels us on to help the suffering who need our help. Christ, by power of the Holy Spirit, remains at our center, ever present, showing us the way of mercy, compassion and love. Though powers and principalities may change our systems and cause some to fall, we remain people of the living God, building the kingdom yet to come. By God’s love, and as instruments of that love, our great institutions will continue as will we, adapting and innovating to meet the demands of modernity.
And so we are called and we must go. We must follow Christ. We must enter the rooms, wherever we find ourselves, whatever our stations as Catholic chaplains, health care professionals, or others who simply care. We must not be afraid. We must continue to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom, gently and compassionately, in and through the love of Christ, by power of the Holy Spirit. Our poor patients are waiting. It remains our call to go, to be a healing force for the poor, to love and to serve them no matter what. May God be with us in our efforts.
David Orr resides with his family in Lynchburg, VA. He received his master’s degree in theological studies in May 2011 from Washington Theological Union, and now is in his first CPE unit at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, VA.
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