Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once.
These verses from Proverbs 3 could be the motto for every business; it is certainly the spirit and attitude of the VA hospital where I serve as chaplain. Everyone from patients, families and volunteers to administrators and tax payers, with the nurses and doctors and technicians in between -- agrees that Veterans should be given their due. They have served our country honorably and we honor their service.
I would like to think this is the attitude every hospital cultivates about its patients among its staff. It gives a leg up in a very competitive industry and it’s the right thing to do. I stand in awe of nurses who care for patients who have dedicated their lives to care of their patients. I admire the doctors who take the time to know their patients and try to meet the patient’s need for recognition as well as medical attention. A lot of people are trashed in a throw-away society but that doesn’t mean this patient’s dignity should be disrespected.
It’s painful to watch broken human beings enter the hospital. Many are wasted by their own foolish choices. Perhaps they were conned into believing what the culture tells them – that the brain is a plaything, that air is greatly improved by smoke, that a lot of food is better than enough food, that pain is always bad and should be annihilated with “pain killers.” And so forth. Which of us has not fallen into one or another of these traps?
But no human being with a sense of decency can refuse the good to which another has a claim, especially in terms of health care, shelter, food and protection. Though we may disagree with how supportive infrastructures are built and maintained, I don’t suppose many will vote to abandon the needy in the wilderness. It’s not in our nature to do so.
People brought their sick to Jesus in the wilderness. There were no hospitals in those days. Though the Romans could assemble huge armies they never thought of constructing hospitals. Romans were about power, not human dignity or respect. And so:
Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. Matthew 15: 30
Jesus was a human being like you and me. The sick had a claim on him and he could not refuse. It was not in his nature to do so.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.