Journals

Telling physicians about spiritual practices is not as inviting as a personal experience. Use journals for this part of orientation. Allow participants a few minutes to consider the question: “What does spirituality mean to you?” Ask them to write their answers. Watch them for indicators that they have finished writing. They ordinarily write for about three minutes. Occasionally, someone will try to write a dissertation. If so, ask if anyone needs another minute; then you can bring the group back together after a brief pause. Let each one comment on the question. Rarely, someone will decline. Do not press them; pressure destroys the crucible of safety that you have labored to create. Journaling is tempting to delete, but it dramatically enriches the ensuing dialogue.

Moments of Reflection

At the conclusion of this reflection allow about 15 – 30 seconds of silence before resuming. This is a good time to let new physicians on the staff know that meetings at your hospital are expected to begin with a reflection or a prayer. Reflections are a time to settle ourselves, recall our purpose and find the context of our work. If they are asked to lead a reflection and panic ensues, they can call for help. There are other opportunities to reflect. For example, stop for a few moments during the Morning Prayer when you hear it broadcast through the hospital. Link reflections or prayers to your habits. For example, reflect or pray when you cleanse your hands before entering the patient’s room or as you dictate the discharge summary.

Immersion

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt. 28:19–20) This saying is absolutely freighted with significance, but I would like to focus on three key words today. Those words are: baptize, name and command. I am going to start with the word name because it doesn’t refer to a label or a moniker. In the language of the first century Middle East, the word name signified the character of a person. This passage doesn’t use names, pleural, but name, singular. The way this passage reads, all three members of the Holy Trinity have the same name. In other words they have the same character. They are the same in their nature. Now the word “command” in this passage really refers us back to the character of the persons of the Holy Trinity. Jesus’ command is to obey everything I have commanded you, but the character of the Holy Trinity is revealed in the commands of Jesus. We just went over his principal command. He said to love one another. As we think about the way we do health care within faithful institutions, like hospitals and clinics. We need to think about how we teach this love to our physicians, staff and the patients who enter our doors. This passage clarifies how we are to do that, and that brings me around to the word “baptism.” Baptism is a ritual of some denominations. Baptism is practiced in different ways, but the image evoked in this passage is of immersion. I don’t believe that this passage tells us to practice ritual baptism in the care of patients or even each other. I believe, rather, that it tells us to immerse all of the people in our hospitals and clinics with selfless love. Some of those people whom we immerse will also be patients. We talk about having a culture, in America, in the South, in our hospital. We are immersed in our cultures. They may be efficient, or pleasant, or toxic, or businesslike, but this commission of Jesus, sometimes called the great commission, tells us that we are to make our culture loving.

Healer's Attitude

The second saying that I like to use is John 13: 34 – 35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." I call this an attitude because love is so often taken as an emotion. This love that Jesus mentions here is not emotion but a matter of will. It is not simply affinity but a profound desire to achieve ultimate good in other souls. It is a desire so profound that it can even evoke personal sacrifice to achieve ultimate good for another person. How would we know exactly what ultimate good would be? From Jesus’ sayings it is clear that his view of ultimate good is to be at one with the will of our creator, and that brings us to the third saying that defines the goal of our healing work and our healing attitude.