Dear Parishioners:
My family had an experience this week that is shared by many families. On Wednesday, we found ourselves sitting together in a hospital waiting to hear word of the outcome of a surgical procedure my Mother had to undergo. Just the day before, she had a test that revealed blockage in a carotid artery and the surgery was scheduled right away. All of us did what we could to rearrange schedules to make sure we could be present at some time during the day. As the Schoolchildren can tell you, I asked them to pray for my Mom and headed right out after the School Mass on Wednesday. I was able to arrive in time to celebrate Anointing of the Sick before the surgery. Then came the waiting, which is the hardest part. My Dad and various siblings came and went as we could. My sister kept everyone in the loop by way of “texting.” As it all worked out, things went fine and Mom did well. I was there before the surgery in pre-op, and I was there as she was taken to her hospital room.
The times I have spent in the hospital as a family member of a patient have been a real education for me. We all know how welcoming and helpful certain members of the hospital staff, and especially the volunteers, can be. Inevitably, one or another will shine as a truly people-centered person, with a bedside manner and a compassion that help us make the best of a difficult situation. We also befriend those who share our plight with us and we can often have encounters that serve to reconnect us with others whose presence was not expected. On the other hand, there are also experiences that can serve to remind us that technology and science can at times forget that we are persons. Patients can be identified by their procedures or symptoms, or as notes on a chart. Family members – even priests! – can be treated as an intrusion that is unwelcome rather than part of the healing team. Information that would be useful to know can be withheld from the patients and the family due to shift changes or simple oversight, causing unnecessary stress or worry. All of this serves as a reminder that we are human beings who need some tender loving care, especially when those we love are in difficulty.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you who are in the helping and healing professions for your efforts to build up the human community. Doctors, nurses, aides, orderlies, technicians, volunteers, chaplains and all who are part of the healthcare community are to be commended for their choice of such a way of life. It can be demanding and at times may seem to be thankless. Thank you! I also want to challenge you and remind you of your ability to serve your patients and their families as a sign of Gospel credibility by the way you treat them. If you always keep the Lord’s invitation to love in mind and you see every person you encounter as someone with whom the Lord has identified Himself, it can change the way you approach your duties. May God bless you and may His healing compassion shine through your life.
Thanks to all who have kept my Mother in your prayers. My family and I are grateful.
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