A friend of ours was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. A few days ago she went in for he first of several surgeries/procedures. Betsy and I went with some other common friends to visit the hospital on Saturday. Then I went back on Sunday to bring communion. I think she was happy that I did that. It's amazing how powerful the sacrament can be.
Once I read an essay about how the experience of illness can be compared to travel to distant lands. Once a person is diagnosed with an illness they must travel to the "Land of the Sick." Once there, they must learn the language, culture, customs of this land. The essay went on to analyze the attendant feelings of being lost and "other" in this place. It's a useful metaphor. That feeling of being "lost" or dislocated is part of the spiritual zeitgeist of this age, IMHO.
George Packard, the ECUSA Suffragan Bishop for Chaplaincies once told a meeting I attended that he sees a population of people who are increasingly isolated from "mainstream" society and yet have disproportionately large amounts of interaction with military, healthcare, and law enforcement institutions. Thus chaplaincy has a crucial role ministering to this population that is only getting more important.
Here's a picture of the ECUSA's Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, wearing a bad-ass "Chaplain" hat with the Episcopal Church's Seal on it. I have one of these hats. They were given to priests that requested them as part of the lessons-learned from 9/11. It also came with a DVD training video for crisis stress response. Anyway, seeing her wear the hat makes me proud.
-t
2 comments:
Hospital chaplaincy by friend? Beyond powerful!
When stranded on the desert island of the large teaching-hospital it seemed to me a "rescue" next best to being airlifted out.
For those who want to know more, the "land of the sick" essay, was "Post-Colonial Liturgy in the Land of the Sick" by Lawrence A. Hoffman (CCAR Journal: A Reform Jewish Quarterly, summer 2006). Betsy passed along a PDF to me that I'll share with others if they want it. It's a stunning essay.
-t
Post a Comment