International Day of Peace

Today, September 21^st is the International Day of Peace. In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly established this International Day of Peace with the intention of having the entire world observe a day of peace and nonviolence.

In response to our own Catholic World Day of Peace on January 1, Pope Benedict XVI quoted his Predecessor Pope John Paul II drawing attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty. “Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty”.

Millions of people today live in extreme poverty around the world. This poverty has the power to hold peace at bay.

Today, and for more than 50 years, Mission Doctors have served at mission hospitals and clinics to offer health care to those most in need.

While the healthcare debate rages here in the US, the need in Africa and Latin America call some dedicated lay missionaries to leave the comfort of home and family to share their gifts and live their faith. They bring their professional skills and in doing so are also bearers of peace.

May we carry peace in our heart, share it in our families and workplaces, our communities and pray to hasten the day that swords will be beaten into plowshares.

Anticipation

When Tom and I were sitting at LAX some 30 years ago with 18-month-old Joshua, passports and tickets to Thailand in hand, two trunks of books and clothes already on the plane, we knew things would be different very soon. While we knew this was what we were being called to do and had been prepared for, we couldn’t know how this step would impact every day of our lives thereafter.

This Sunday’s readings seem to explode with anticipation. After all, next Sunday is Palm Sunday – the beginning of Holy Week. We can feel this building “The days are coming….” Jeremiah says… The new covenant will be written “…upon their hearts;” and we pray with the Psalmist to prepare our hearts for this day ‘Create a clean heart in me O God’.

Jesus is anticipating what is the culmination of His mission.

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…
"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
'Father, save me from this hour'?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name." …
…Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself."

Today, when mission doctors and their families sit at the airport ready to board the plane to begin an assignment at a mission hospital or clinic, they may be anticipating the experience, being both excited about the possibilities and anxious about the upcoming challenges. They take this step into the unknown with the surety that they are called to do so because of their faith in the One who has been lifted up.

This week we are called to go deeper – continue our efforts as we prepare to renew our Baptism on Holy Saturday – Prayer, Sacrifice and Good Works - what will we do to discern what we are being called to? How can we be obedient to that call?

Keeping Things in Context…

When doctors and their families make a commitment to serve for three years this calling, taken out of context seems absurd. Why would a doctor leave their practice in the United States to serve in the missions receiving a stipend of $150 a month? Why would anyone leave their friends and families to serve those in need half a world away?

The readings for the second Sunday of Advent, taken on their own, may be confusing at the least, but we are reassured by Paul, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

As we continue to make this Lenten journey, of prayer, sacrifice and striving to do good works to renew our own baptism, we read of Abraham being put to the test, and Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets.

Taken on its own, Abraham is being asked to sacrifice his only beloved son, to us an obvious foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Taken in context, Abraham is willing to do so because he deeply believes in the promise God had already made, and he believes that if he carries out what is asked, God will raise Isaac from the dead to deliver on that promise.

Jesus appears transfigured with Moses and Elijah. On its own we can completely understand Peter’s reaction – "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents...” In the context of the Resurrection we see that Jesus is the fulfillment of both the Law and the teachings of the Prophets, his transfiguration a foreshadowing of the Resurrection, with the exhortation from the Father, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

Mission Doctors and their families serve in the context of their faith. Called to live our Baptism, we too, with prayer, sacrifice and good works, believe in the Promise and know “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The First Sunday of Lent

This First Sunday of Lent --- taking the first steps on this journey to renew our baptism, where we were washed clean in the waters, signed with the cross and received the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells us today that; "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The old covenant has passed away – the covenant made with Noah that prepared the world for the Son of God. The new covenant was made through Jesus’ sacrifice bringing to us the opportunity for forgiveness, wholeness, perfection, and union with God.

Our baptism begins with God's love and continues with us, living and bringing God's love and care to the world. Our mission doctors strive to do this each day and those who support are partners in this care.

As we walk this 40-day path together we can strive to remember that we must act in a way that both recognizes Gods love for us, and also calls us to act in a way that reflects God’s love to others.

How will we do this? Step, by step, with prayer, sacrifice and fasting.

What are you doing as you begin your journey? Please share your experience with me here, by posting comments on this blog, I would love to hear how you are living this Lenten journey.

Ash Wednesday

On this 40-day Lenten journey we are called to renew our baptism that begins with God's love and continues with us, living and bringing God's love and care to the world.

Ash Wednesday, our first step on this journey gives us the Gospel reading with Jesus speaking of three important things we should be about on this path: sacrifice, prayer and fasting, all to be done without a desire for recognition.

What we do recognize is that we are in need of conversion, and the ashes that are on our foreheads today publicly acknowledges this and reminds us that we are to called to "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel."

The prophet Joel tells us that we can rely on God who is "gracious and merciful...slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment," And the reading from Paul expresses the urgency of the message – the time is now, this very day is our “day of salvation”.

As we walk this 40-day path together lets remember that it we must act in a way that both recognizes Gods love for us, and also calls us to act in a way that reflects God’s love to others. How will we do this? Step, by step, with prayer, sacrifice and fasting.

What are you doing as you begin your journey?

And a good time was had by all….

What does a black tie party in Los Angeles have to do with the medical needs of patients at a mission hospital or clinic?

On Valentines Day the Mission Doctors Auxiliary hosted the celebration of 50 years of ‘Hearts and Hope” at a Benefit Gala at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles.

So much work goes into this type of event – and I continue to be completely impressed by the generosity of the Mission Doctors Auxiliary members with both their time and treasure! Everything from addressing invitations, assigning seating, collecting donations for and making the beautiful silent auction baskets, handwriting the placecards, overseeing the beautiful decorations and then running around all evening to ensure that all went well.

If you’ve been to other such events you might think you already know what this one is like, but I think you would be surprised. First there are the doctors and their wives who came who have served in the missions, happy to share their stories with supporters and occasionally huddled in a corner with other doctors sharing stories of unusual surgeries.

Individuals who have been involved in supporting this work for many years bring friends to introduce them to the work and engender their support.

All evening I was struck by the sense that this is all part of a chain – each individual a critical link bringing health and hope to a child in Zimbabwe, a women in Cameroon, a family in Uganda.

We celebrated the work, honored both those who served and those who make the work possible, and introduced the mission to others. On top of all this we raised money to make the mission a mission possible. Quite a bit of work, but the outcome, as always truly outweighs the effort.

Generosity

One of our doctors recently shared a story of faith and abundance that sounded like it came right out of the pages of the Old Testament (the name of the sister and hospital have been omitted to protect their generosity).

A Catholic sister serving as hospital administrator was approached by a group of about 80 individuals and families members who had walked for two days with no food – they said that they had nothing and were turning to the hospital as a last resort.

Sister advised her staff to feed them for three days and send them back to their homes with a supply of food. The hospital staff while compassionate, informed the sister that doing so would wipe out their eleven day store of grain.

Sister’s reply was "Then we will eat just vegetable here at the hospital.” The people were fed and sent with enough to see them home and provide some nourishment for a time.

The next day the hospital learned that the Jesuit Fathers would be receiving a large shipment of corn, and that they would be sending one ton of corn to the hospital. She believes it is from God. So do I.

I would love to hear about a time in your life or in the lives of others, that were reflections of the generosity of God. Please post here and share your experiences of compassion.

Inspired by compassion

I have been working with Mission Doctors Association for over 27 years and have had the honor of supporting these doctors and their families. Their stories of courage, disappointment, hope and healing continue to inspired me. But, the countless stories of patients cared for, babies delivered, or operations preformed are written on the hearts of mission doctors and seldom on the pages of a newsletter.

One of my roles as director is to try to persuade them to share their stories. The humble health care providers are often reluctant to recount the numbers of patients seen, or the number of nights that they have been called back to the hospital to see yet another patient.
When encouraged to do so they sometimes share a case that was remarkable; a fisherman who traveled 100 km after a hippo attack and who received life saving surgery. And on the telling, the surgeon only stresses that the patient lived by the grace of God. I agree with him; however I don’t discount the surgeon’s skills and his sacrifices to be there – that night the life of this fisherman was indeed saved by the grace of God and the sacrifice of one, and the many who made it possible for him to be there – acting on their faith in God.

The doctors are just as likely to share their frustration when everything that they could do, with the limited resources at hand, was not enough. When practicing in the states with every resource available - when the battle is still lost - they may walk away feeling powerless in the face of death - but they know that everything that could be tried was tried. The frustration practicing resource poor medicine is in the knowing that for lack of a single drug, that cost only pennies at home, a patient dies, or for the time and distance it took to get to the hospital a child is lost.
These doctors unanimously recount that they have received more than they gave, that the experience made them a better doctor in their own practice and that they have been grateful for the opportunity to share their skills and quietly live their faith. I’m grateful to be witness to their service and their faith which strengthens my own.