What is your cultural experience and background?
Our experiences in life shape how we approach our ministry. Clemens Sedmak writes that “theology is always done with a backpack full of things we do not use and lacking other things we need."[30] What is in this backpack? All the things our friends and family, culture and tradition, our training and experience have packed for us. We have only packed a few things.
Dianne Bergant Biblical scholar and Professor Emeritus at Catholic Theological Union describes social location as: “Where you stand in the world: age, gender, economic experience, family position and how you perceive the world.”[31]
We all have our crosses to carry and we all carry our own wounds. Doing theology is a way to attend to the wounds of our time. Jesus brought redemption to the wounded, blind, lame, proud and corrupt during his time as he brought forward the Kingdom of Heaven into our midst. Ministers of Care need to be a presence that is sensitive to the wounds both physical and emotional for the people we serve. We have to examine our own wounds and understand where they can influence or inhibit our ability to serve. We need to be careful not to share our our issues and wounds during our service, it is not about us, it is about the person we are visiting.
Dianne Bergant Biblical scholar and Professor Emeritus at Catholic Theological Union describes social location as: “Where you stand in the world: age, gender, economic experience, family position and how you perceive the world.”[31]
We all have our crosses to carry and we all carry our own wounds. Doing theology is a way to attend to the wounds of our time. Jesus brought redemption to the wounded, blind, lame, proud and corrupt during his time as he brought forward the Kingdom of Heaven into our midst. Ministers of Care need to be a presence that is sensitive to the wounds both physical and emotional for the people we serve. We have to examine our own wounds and understand where they can influence or inhibit our ability to serve. We need to be careful not to share our our issues and wounds during our service, it is not about us, it is about the person we are visiting.
Reflection and responses by Sharon Dobbs site author: What is your cultural packpack filled with? My cultural backpack is filled with the impact of growing up in the Midwest, a childhood in a Chicago South Side Irish Catholic neighborhood, motherhood and raising a family in Hyde Park, working and traveling around the world in the technology industry, and being one of the “Baby Boomer” generation. The lesson I have learned as a mother is that each child is unique in the world. I have been able to translate that also to my work as a minister of care in that I acknowledge every patient whom I visit has their own backpack and their own unique position in the world. For prayer, each patient has to work with the physical and mental limits their illness has placed on them. Some people can do no more than blink their eyes to respond to you. Other patients reach their hands out to you for a comforting hand to hold. What is your personal theology? I would describe my approach to theology as a “Motherist-Survivorist Theology” to acknowledge the two significant sets of experiences in my life: raising children and surviving two serious illnesses. The ministry I most identify with is serving the sick, the dying, and children who do not have parents who can care for them. Service to these communities is centered on being a caregiver and taking care of those who can no longer take care of themselves. A learning encounter I visited a young man in the hospital who had tattoos all over, long lanky, greasy hair, and looked like he could have been part of a wild motorcycle gang. That was the first glance. I introduced myself as I stood hesitantly in the doorway and he warmly welcomed me into his room. His face lit up and his eyes teared when he realized someone was there to give him communion. After we prayed together and he received communion, we talked for a bit and he told me a little of the hard life he had been experiencing. At the end of the conversation, he asked if he could show me something, who was person he prayed to most faithfully and who had guided him through his most difficult days. He turned his back to me, lifted up his shirt, and there was a glorious tattoo of the Virgin Mary all across his back. |
Examining Ecclesial Identity
There is a famous quote from St. Augustine that says: “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”[32] Part of becoming a Minister of Care is to examine your own faith. Cardinal Avery Dulles examined different models of the church in his book “The Models of the Church." The "Servant Model" calls for us to be a humble and servant Church where Church existence is grounded in existing for others.[33] As a Church we have to look at the homeless/helpless around us as our brothers and sisters and show the same compassion as Jesus did for the marginalized.
Dermot Lane stated that “the act of faith is brought about by the grace of God.”[34] Jesus is always walking with us, but we may not always stop or take the time to know he is at our side. When we do acknowledge Jesus' presence, it is through an act of grace. We are Eucharistic Ministers of Care so you should ask yourself the question: What is the Eucharist to you? What is the connection between my faith and my ministry?
What is your prayer and spiritual life like? Daily prayer, Mass attendance, scripture reading and study, daily reflection and readings, and going on retreat are all ways to keep a meaningful relationship with God alive.
Dermot Lane stated that “the act of faith is brought about by the grace of God.”[34] Jesus is always walking with us, but we may not always stop or take the time to know he is at our side. When we do acknowledge Jesus' presence, it is through an act of grace. We are Eucharistic Ministers of Care so you should ask yourself the question: What is the Eucharist to you? What is the connection between my faith and my ministry?
What is your prayer and spiritual life like? Daily prayer, Mass attendance, scripture reading and study, daily reflection and readings, and going on retreat are all ways to keep a meaningful relationship with God alive.
Call to Ministry
How do people know they have a calling from God to do this work? Can you open your heart and mind to listen to the words the God is saying to you? Here are some testimonies from some of the St. Thomas the Apostle(STA) Ministers of Care:
Testimonies from STA MOC: Why we are called?
How do I know this is for me?
You will not walk through this ministry alone, and it is best to take small steps forward. Experienced Ministers of Care will come with you on your visits until you are comfortable. Your fellow MOCs are available to discuss questions and concerns, and we meet monthly to discuss our ministry. There is a great richness that you will receive in return as you visit people.
Reflection on the call / Questions to ask yourself, to discuss, and to pray about:
Do I resonate with this ministry?
Why does this ministry attract me?
In what ways do I feel called? How?
What about this ministry calls to me?
Am I ready?
Testimonies from STA MOC: Why we are called?
How do I know this is for me?
You will not walk through this ministry alone, and it is best to take small steps forward. Experienced Ministers of Care will come with you on your visits until you are comfortable. Your fellow MOCs are available to discuss questions and concerns, and we meet monthly to discuss our ministry. There is a great richness that you will receive in return as you visit people.
Reflection on the call / Questions to ask yourself, to discuss, and to pray about:
Do I resonate with this ministry?
Why does this ministry attract me?
In what ways do I feel called? How?
What about this ministry calls to me?
Am I ready?
NOTE: All scripture quotations are from the Catholic Study Bible Second Edition New American Bible Edited by Donald Senior and John J. Collins.
© Copyright Sharon Dobbs 2016