Medical theology ..

The discussions one has with patients as a hospital chaplain are usually interesting and, occasionally, very interesting. One meets people from all walks of life. Some are highly educated professional people and some are salt-of-the-earth blue collar workers. Sometimes, however, under the influence of medication and the particular treatment being undergone, a patient's learning can desert him as I discovered recently when I was told by a man after his prostate operation that the Pope rarely speaks 'ex catheter'.

The New Adoration Chapel

Embedded in the existential fact of our existence, in our very DNA, is the question Why? Why do I exist?

Some look for an answer in philosophy or one of the sciences. They have their heads down – peering through telescopes, running clinical experiments, observing the laws of nature and proposing theories.

We who believe, we have our heads up. Our answer to the question why? has come to us from heaven; and we have believed it. We call that revelation from God – the Good News, the Gospel, Jesus.

We know that Jesus came from the Father to call humanity to faith in him. And we know that he continues to call humanity today. Moreover, we know that he is calling each one of us – individually. He is calling me; he is calling you.

And we have to answer his call; we have to look for God. The truth of our need to search is always present, unavoidable, because we long to see the face of the One who gives us meaning; to see and understand the face of our future.

Are you looking for God in your life? It would surprise me greatly if you replied with a no because to search for the footsteps of Jesus in our lives is a profound Christian instinct. We all search for signs of his presence; we can’t help it.

So where do you look for Jesus? Since he is everywhere spiritually we can look for him anywhere and find his spiritual presence. However, he does have some preferred ‘hangouts’ (if you’ll pardon the slang), some places he is more easily found.

• The Scriptures, for example, are a wonderful rendezvous with the Lord. We listen, he speaks – and then we speak and he listens.
• Where two or three are gathered in his name, he is always present.
• In the person of the priest Jesus is mysteriously present and many have had reason to experience this reality.

And, of course, Jesus is present in the Eucharist, but with one difference. In the Bread of the Eucharist Jesus is not only spiritually present but he is present, as Catholic theology puts it, in his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

I have spent many hours reading Scripture, talking to priests, and praying with other believers but I have never encountered this fullness of presence, this ‘real’ presence, except in the Eucharistic species. Here, our Faith tells us, the ‘whole’ Jesus is to be found and, if in faith we approach him there, we will not be disappointed.

On numerous occasions I have spoken with converts who tell me they were initially drawn to the faith by the ‘presence’ they experienced only in Catholic churches. This presence is Jesus Christ in the tabernacle in his most excellent mode of presence on earth – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. When Helena Kowalska knocked on the door of the convent she wished to join the Mother Superior told her to go to the chapel and ask ‘the Master of the house’ if he would accept her. She obeyed and the Lord told her ‘I do accept you.’ When Helena became a Sister she was given the name Faustina and we know her today as St Faustina.

As Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament gave new direction to the life of St Faustina so he will do for us, nothing is more certain. I say this with all the confidence of my own experience because as a layman, for seven years, without missing a single day, I spent an hour with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, right up to the day of my ordination. My ears never heard a single word from the Tabernacle but I guess my soul must have been paying more attention.

For some their lives are a mess – they need special graces. Some are in danger of making wrong choices and need light. Some feel unloved – they seek consolation. Some are sunk in sin and need forgiveness, a fresh start. Some are seeking perfection of soul and need his help and guidance. Some are lost and need to rediscover the road.

To anyone who is searching for the Lord, wanting to speak with him, to be with him, to ask him for something, or to listen to what he has to say to them – I would point and say – He is there, behind that door, waiting for you.

And if you are faithful enough to spend some time with him he will ‘tune you in’ to his presence. We all need this. You will come to love his presence and will learn that it is not a waste of time to sit and do nothing before the Lord. He will be exceedingly busy with you.

We need to learn that God is heard in silence. That is his language.

Let me give you this bit of practical advice which you should take seriously. If you can manage to go to the office and get a key card to open the electronic lock on the chapel door, and if you can then walk the twenty steps to the prayer chapel and sit down before the Lord – say hello to him and tell him up front how long you are going to be with him. ‘Hello, Lord, I have stepped in here to be with you for three minutes, for five minutes, for ten or twenty minutes – however long you wish. And then stay precisely that long. Don’t leave it up to your feelings to decide when to go. And don’t squib it.

The bottom line is to be there with him. You may say your favourite prayers, read the Bible, say the Rosary, read a holy book or just gaze at him and speak your thoughts. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is not what you do; it’s what he will do.

Untainted Purity

O Mary, limpid pool

formed by waterfalls of grace

thundering from their heavenly place.

Exquisite, most beautiful...

And keeping nothing back
You water the human race.

A Short Reflection For Advent ...

A priest told me recently, or rather he revealed to me, that he didn't believe in hell. It was clear from the look on his face that he knew he was being naughty, out of line. He smilingly asked 'How could it be imagined that God would allow such a thing? Forever is such a long time, isn't it?'

Like often happens I didn't know exactly what to reply and therefore said nothing. I knew, of course, he was wrong. The existence of hell is de fide and therefore non-negotiable; we are obliged as Catholics to believe in its reality. I guess what confused me was his statement that forever 'is such a long time.'

It's a mistake we can easily make - transferring our earthly way of thinking to heavenly matters, or in this case, to hell. I remembered something I had been taught as a child, God has no birthdays. And when we go to heaven, please God, we will not have anniversaries. We will not be able to say 'Today we have been in heaven five trillion and 6 years' because in heaven there is no time.

Consequently there is no time in hell. Forever, according to our earthly way of thinking, is, indeed a long time - a very, very, very long time - but forever is not the same as eternity, which is an eternally present now! And so there is no passing of time in either heaven or hell - both are an eternal now - on either side of which there is no past and no future.

Here on planet earth we similarly live only in a now but it is wedged between a past and a future. When the Master returns to us it will be precisely and only now that he comes. He will not find us anywhere else.

And this means that to ask 'Will I be ready when he comes?' is actually a silly question. The only meaningful Advent question is 'Am I ready NOW?'

Brenda bites back ...

Dear Father John,

I have only one comment on the duck……

The Cannibalistic Canard

Unpatriotic duck it is!

While snacking it should think,

Though eating worms and escargots

Will keep it in the pink

 While it is  growing portlier

And featuring in blogs…….

How naughty of le duck Français

To eat its fellow Frogs!

Brenda

A round .. sung to whatever tune you like ..

trees
are only wood
with leaves
they come and go
they're only there
for show
you know ... and

sheep
are only
uncooked meat
a little lamb
fits snugly in the pan
that's why
they bleat ... and

eggs
are chicks
without their legs
which came before
no one is really sure
the question begs ... and

New wine .. old wineskins

You know, it concerns me greatly and it is a source of deep, personal disappointment that in the Australian Church, there is, generally speaking, a huge, monolithic resistance to 'the new'. And this is exceedingly strange considering 'the old' is failing us badly.

Everywhere there is depletion ... from Mass attendance to catechetical understanding ... and yet we go on, ministering entirely as though nothing were amiss.

Every now and then, at a priests' gathering, unexpectedly, one or other priest will give the most lucid and even poignant expression to how badly things are really going. All heads turn, there are even a few nods of agreement, and then a strange silence until someone asks how the cricket is going or who will be the next bishop of this or that diocese. So strange! It's like the Church is not our responsibility.

I was trained to teach French and English to secondary students. We were trained to teach, evaluate and, if necessary, reteach. If our methods didn't work we had to hunt around for new ones, new ways. We called this 'professionalism'. The only failure was to stop seeking the best way to get through to the kids.

In the Church today there seems to be not only a great reluctance to admit to the reality that we are rapidly dying, but also to the possibility that we, through 'new methods, new ardour, new expressions' (Pope Paul VI - Evangelii Nuntiandi) have a responsibility to do something about it.

We all seem to be waiting for someone to come and fix it for us but, and here's the rub, it must not be one of us!

Even the deluge of talk about the 'new evangelisation' remains nothing more than talk - and, as we all know, talk costs nothing. And if ever a substantial, practical, challenging suggestion should make its way into the conversation it is soon dealt a fatal blow with the sharp point of a clever gibe, or the solemn warning 'But we'll lose people.'

Perhaps saddest of all is when a new idea, a new method, a new expression 'new wine' is proposed and then poured it into an old wine skin  - to guarantee its failure.

Final "arrest" ....

Ring! Ring!
"Hello, Fr Speekman."
"Yeah, hello, are you the Catholic chaplain?"
"Yes, I am."
"Oh, good. Right. Well, I'm Jason, a nurse on 12 West 1 and I have a patient here who's failing fast. The family would like you to come in as soon as possible and read him his Last Rights."
"No problem, Jason. I'll be there in 10 minutes."
"Cool. Thanks."

The Gospel of Nice ...

Jesus shared with his disciples, "I am the Nice Shepherd. I never say no to my sheep. They love me and I love them and I do anything they want. When the wolf comes I smile and say hello and welcome him into the flock because my flock is inclusive and welcoming.

Other shepherds are not nice. They are divisive and bullying. They have rules for the sheep. They do not accept the wolf and do not let the sheep play with him. I am the Nice Shepherd. I lay down for the sheep and the wolf. They love me lots and call me by my first name.

We love ourselves and we form community. We do not like those other sheep who are not inclusive and will not play with the wolf. We do not have them in our flock. We call them names and show them they are unwelcome because they are not welcoming like us."

Follow the leader ..

In a study (1966-1974) to determine the degree to which subjects were willing to inflict pain on another individual simply because they had been directed to do so by an authority figure, Stanley Milgram found that nearly two thirds complied completely.

Yep, that would be spot on, exactly spot on. Two thirds!

Not only the patients need to be patient ..

A hospital chaplain needs to have thick skin, patience and a healthy sense of humour.

On my rounds one day I bumped into two men in their hospital gowns and bare feet chatting at the door of their ward. They were new admissions in for a few days of tests before possible heart surgery. I passed by in my 'blacks' and Roman collar and gave a cheery 'Good morning'. Instead of answering they looked me up and down with some disdain, computed that I was of no relevance to them, and continued chatting.

It was the same the next day though on the third one of them managed the tiniest 'G'day' from the corner of his mouth. On the fourth day they were both trapped in their adjoining beds with the "Nil By Mouth" sign dangling above their heads. They were not happy. I approached the first one and said 'Operation today?' 'Yeah, mate .. er .. Father.'

'Don't worry, these heart procedures are nothing these days. They're just routine. You'll be right,' and before he could answer, 'Where are you from?'

'Dubbo.' 'Oh, the good country. I love that sort of country, almost outback. Let me give you a blessing before your op.' What could he do but say 'Ok'?

So I put my hand on his head and prayed. His friend in the other bed didn't have the heart to refuse my offer of a blessing, most of his energy was going into the pre-op jitters.

Next day they were there in ICU - looking like two wounded rabbits. Each had a big vertical scar down the middle of his chest and each was clutching a towel folded up against the suture. They were not in a good mood and suffering considerably. I knew not to start joking around, gave them a quick blessing and left.

The next two days saw big improvements, there were no complications and the pain left their eyes. 'Can I give you a blessing this morning?' 'Sure thing, Father.'

The last time I saw them was back in the Coronary Care Unit. I was walking past their room to check the names on the board and they called out 'Hey, Father, you've forgotten the blessing!' 'No, I haven't, I was just getting the list from the board.' We talked for a good while that day. They knew they were going and would probably never see me again but we were almost friends. There was a warmth in that room, an understanding - I might even say, the Holy Spirit.

Church-weary ..

In his book A New Song For The Lord, Pope Benedict begins his second chapter with the following words:

To a large extent it is characteristic of the situation of faith and theology in Europe today that people are weary of the Church.

Weary of the Church - arresting, simple and so true. Every day I meet people in my work as hospital chaplain whose eyes glaze over when they see the priest. They are not interested in Church or the things or people of Church. They will say: Jesus yes, the Church no.

Pope Benedict sheds light on this modern phenomenon by first identifying it as a christological and not an ecclesiological problem. He maintains that what people are really saying is: Jesus yes, Christ no or Jesus yes, Son of God no. 

Modern man is hungry for Jesus but only for the man, not for the Son of God, or what the Church or the Gospels say about him.

His human side touches us; the profession that he is God's only-begotten Son merely seems to alienate him from us, to transpose him into the inaccessible, the unreal and to surrender him simultaneously to the management of ecclesiastical authority. Separating Jesus and Christ is at the same time separating Jesus and the Church: Christ is left to the Church since he seems to be her handiwork; in shoving Christ aside one hopes to win Jesus and with him a new form of freedom, of "redemption."

The Pope, of course, goes on to describe very exactly how things got to be like this and it's rather interesting. I'll come back to the topic another time.

Doggerel or duckerel .. ?

Sometimes on worms
my duck will snack
and juicy escargots
toss back
and even little frogs
go in
till it canardly
quack.

(23 Feb '08)

Mamma mia!

The phone rang. 1am. Groan! Could I come to the hospital? Sergio (not his name) was dying. I'll be there in 15 minutes.

It was not an unpleasant walk to the hospital - a warm night, the street busy with students going to or coming back from the pub, heading to their respective colleges. I made my way through the night entry door with my swipe card - silent corridors, a lift which immediately responded to the press of the button, another silent corridor on the 8th floor. I walked quickly to room 18 and knocked, pushing the door open.

Suddenly a hand on my chest - Sergio's wife, pushing me back out. 'Oh, Father, thank you for coming. You can't go in.' 'Oh?' 'Yes, you can't go in, Sergio will think he's dying'. 'Really? So I can't go in? But you did call me, didn't you?' 'Yes, I did, I panicked.' 'Ok, so what do you want me to do? Let me go in and give him the Sacraments.' 'Oooh, no! Please, Father!' 'Ok, so what do you want me to do?' 'I'm sorry, Father, please just go home.'

[I know, you think I'm making this up, don't you? Well, I'm not!]

It was an equally pleasant walk back to the presbytery and I imagined my bed was still warm in parts. Soon I was back in slumber land.

Ring! Ring! Oh no. Hello. The nurse put Maria on. 'Yes, Maria, I'll come at once. Sorry to hear that Sergio is dead.' The clock showed 5am.

Now the street was different - colder, some traffic, no pedestrians except for me.

This time I was met at the door. Maria was in tears. About 15 family members stood around the bed. I gave Absolution and the Plenary Indulgence and anointed Sergio's strangely cold forehead.

On the way out, curious, I asked the nurse to check the chart for time of death. 3am!

Whose sickness is it?

As a hospital chaplain I see sickness all the time. In every bed I visit there lies a story of discomfort, suffering, or even death.

To a certain extent one needs to detach, actually - to a large extent - and tell oneself: this is not my sickness, this is not my suffering, this is not my death.

I have spoken to various people who can't do this, who can't detach. Some of them feel guilty and imagine some sort of 'obligation' to suffer along with the patient. Others just won't go into the room for a visit because it causes them too much distress to see someone else's pain.

After all this time I've come to recognise that I experience most distress when called to visit a couple who lose a child before or at birth. This defeats my best efforts to detach and I often find myself weeping along with the parents.

Having said all this let me share with you an experience I occasionally have when celebrating the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

After all the appropriate prayers are said there comes the time for the priest to anoint.

I dip my thumb in the oil and then reaching out my arm and placing my thumb on the forehead of the sick person I sometimes feel I am 'claiming' him as my brother. In fact, more than that, I sometimes have the impression I am anointing myself. Isn't that curious?

It's as though the two of us were really 'one' body and my arm, the healthy part of the body, were reaching out and anointing him, the sick part of my own body.

For a split second the sick person and I are one. For a split second his sickness is mine and my health is his.

St Paul had a lot to say about us all being part of the one body and maybe this is just a little glimpse into the truth of this reality which is usually hidden from us.

All too much ..

One of the things I don't like about the Catholic Church is the poor communication.

I mean, why should I have to learn from one of the teachers at the school that it's no longer a sin to miss Mass on Sunday if it's a bit inconvenient to go? And why should the sacristan have to update me about people not needing to go to confession anymore. They could have mentioned it at the Priests' Inservice last month. And how embarrassing to have to be corrected by the Religious Education Coordinator for using the word 'sin' in my homily! Apparently we are supposed to say 'moving away from God's love' now. She might have left it till after the staff meeting instead of making such a big deal of it.

It's all too much for me. Why hasn't the bishop said anything? Yesterday I discovered, from one of the good Sisters from over the road that I've been wasting my time encouraging Eucharistic Adoration. Apparently they've decided it's much better to adore God at home.

What puzzles me, though, is that no one can tell me where I can get a list of these new teachings. Surely Rome must have put out something! My guess is that it's an update to the Catechism.

I asked, silly me, at the Liturgy Meeting and at the Parents and Friends and got what I deserved. I said I was wondering if anyone had any document from Rome or any information at all about the new teachings that had come out. Well, you should have seen the amazement on their faces! It was like they had been practising for a moment like this because they all looked at me in utter disbelief and said, 'Dear me, "John", everybody knows the Church has moved on!'

I can tell you I felt like a real dill. Just wait till I see the bishop next .. I'll tell him to get his act into gear and start informing his priests about all these changes to Church teaching.

(NB - all characters mentioned above are entirely fictional and do not refer to you or anyone you might know, or any of their relatives or friends.)

Sue and Brian, are you out there?

I was driving my nephew somewhere. I hadn't really spent any time with him for many years except seeing him when I went to visit his father and mother. It was nice being alone in the car with him. He was about 23 years old.

At one point he asked me about Sue and Brian. I said 'Sue and Brian, who are they?' He said "You asked us to pray for them years ago?'

Sue and Brian? Sue and Brian? I asked them to pray for Sue and Brian?

Tiny bells started ringing in my head. 'How long ago did I ask you to pray for them?'

'When I was a little kid. You came to visit one day and asked us to remember a couple called Sue and Brian who were having some sort of difficulty. You were in such-and-such a parish.'

'But that was over ten years ago! And you've been praying all this time?'

'We all have, every night, at Rosary time. We pray for vocations and then for Sue and Brian.'

I couldn't believe it. And though I kept asking myself 'Who the hell are Sue and Brian?' the bells in my head were not getting any louder.

Anyway, somewhere in Australia there is a very lucky couple who have had 7 people praying for them for over ten years. And I still can't remember them, or what the problem was.

They never pointed out your sin ..

The visions your prophets had

on your behalf
were delusive,

tinsel things,
they never pointed out

your sin,
to ward off

your exile.

The visions they proffered you

were false,
fallacious,

misleading.

[Lamentations 2:14]

A thought on Lectio Divina

The best fruit of
reading,
meditating on,
praying,
and contemplating
the Word of God
is that
we begin
to believe it.

Prayer..

I was doing my prayer time and the question 'What does prayer do for you?' popped into my head.

The answer was immediate and unexpected: Prayer pushes back the darkness.

So what does prayer do for you?