Valentine’s day, celebrated this Sunday, often brings images of red roses, large boxes of chocolate and candle light dinners to mind. The St. Valentine, whose feast day is February 14, is among the earliest of Roman martyrs, and on this day we celebrate and treasure love, love of all kinds. The romantic and committed love of husband and wife, the devoted love of parent and child and the affectionate and caring love between friends.
In my job, I get to see a very special kind of love everyday. This kind of sacrificial love motivates people to leave their homes, travel half a world away and share their gift of healing. Not flowers or chocolates, but the love we are all called to have for all of our sisters and brothers, a universal, faith motivated love.
The title of this blog and the prayer of St. Theresa - Christ has no body, but ours, no hands but ours is always the challenge; how can we be Christ to others; how can we ensure that they experience the love God has for each of them?
This week Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene, along with their four small children, began a three year assignment to Hospitalito in Lake Attitlan. Brent and Jennifer are very close with their families in California and Oregon - their families too make a sacrifice, sharing their loved ones with the people who need them in Guatemala.
Please keep this young family, and their family at home in your prayers this week, and you can let them know you are praying for them by signing a prayer card on our web site.
I wanted to take a moment and share with you a couple of the blogs our Mission Doctors are writing to share their mission stories. A Step Along the WayThis blog, with it’s title is inspired by the prayer of Archbishop Oscar Romero, is written by Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stoughton. The Stoughton’s have recently returned from an eight year mission in rural Zimbabwe, serving the people of St. Theresa's hospital. While their long term mission has ended their commitment to the people of St. Theresa’s hospital continues. In this season of thanks Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stoughton are sharing Eight Days of Gratitude, comparing the life lived in the US, life at St. Theresa’s Hospital and those living in the community around the hospital. Burket-Thoene Family MissionThe Burket-Thoene Family Mission is a new blog, started by Dr. Brent Burket and Dr. Jennifer Thoene. These veteran mission doctors will start a long term mission to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala with their four children; Christopher, Elizabeth, Julianne and Nicholas. This doctor couple will be caring for the indigenous Mayan population, the Tz'utujil, working along side the people at a hospital called Hospitalito.
Please take a moment and check out their blogs, hear their stories and consider signing up as a “follower” to receive new blog posts.
I wanted to take a moment this week and share with you a powerful quote from the founder of Mission Doctors, Monsignor Anthony Brouwers, “Many do not know the needs of the world’s poverty; some do not care. Others know but refuse to lift a finger or open a tight purse. The present writer, on journeys through the mission lands, has had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with the reality of poverty. To see it in all its stark realism is not enough; one must smell and touch it before the mind drinks in the realities of the senses.”
His ability to help those of us here in the US understand the reality of the needs has called many of us to join in the work of Mission Doctors Association. It is true, that the needs in the Africa and Latin America are difficult to imagine while sitting at our computer screen in a warm home or office. It is my charge however, as a missionary myself, returned home, to share these needs with others and to encourage prayers and support.
Imagine a world where all needs of the poor are met. We can imagine this one patient at a time. Click this link to view a Mission Doctors video. You can meet our doctors serving and learn about the real needs that exist.
This Sunday we will hear the beautiful and familiar Sermon on the Mount, the Gospel reading that gives us the Beatitudes. These Beatitudes are a hopeful message of God’s love and gives us the template against which we can hold our actions.
Am I poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure of heart, am I a peacemaker? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness and am I willing to be persecuted for it? The dedicated doctors and their families that serve in the missions are indeed poor in spirit living simply for the sake of their faithful service. And sadly, due to limited resources they have far too many opportunities to mourn at the bedside of a patient.
At times faced with the inequities they experience, I know they have a deep hunger for a remedy that would address the underlying injustices.
Matthew goes on beyond the Beatitudes quoting Jesus "You are the light of the world." "...your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." The good that is done by Mission Doctors is a form of this light, may others may see the good and give glory to God!
How are you finding ways to live the Beatitudes and be the light of the world?
"There are many other doctors more deserving of the award.” This is the answer our office received from Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, in response to his nomination. However, this Sunday on the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, it was my honor to witness Dr. Fitzgerald receiving the Mission Doctors Association, 2009 Catholic Doctor of the Year Award at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles White Mass.
While it was a daunting task deciding on the award winner from the more than a 1000 nominations sent out nationwide, Dr. Fitzgerald stood apart for his commitment to his community and those around the world.
Dr. Fitzgerald volunteers with the Poverello Clinic, a free clinic for the uninsured. His service has also taken him to the Sacre Coeur Hospital in Milot, Haiti, as well as hosting Haitian physicians who come to the US for specialized training. Dr. Fitzgerald in addtion serves annually as a volunteer physician accompanying and ministering to the sick and disabled who make the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, in southern France.
Thank you Dr. Michael Fitzgerald for your dedication to your patients and your ability to recognize the face of Christ in all you serve.
To learn more about Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, please read the spread on the award and his service from the Diocese of Syracuse paper.
Doing a quick Google news search for “power of prayer” everything, from the current health care debate, to stories of people lost at sea, come up. Each of these stories, while significantly different, has in common a belief in the power of God’s grace.
The mission doctors who serve at hospitals and clinics around the world, often with their spouses and families, do so believing in the power of God’s grace. Grace to get them there safely; to guide and protect them while their serve; the grace to offer professional care with limited resources; and upon returning, the grace to arrive home safely.
I want to take this blog post to invite you to share some of your prayers for our missionaries serving the poor around the world. If you would like to send a prayer of support and encouragement to our mission doctors and their families, you can do so here.
Drs Melanie and Roy Elfrink served this summer with four of their six children at St. Martin de Porres Hospital in the diocese of Kabale, Uganda. Melanie wrote about the start of the rainy season, and the link to the Feast of The Assumption, which is a National Holiday in Uganda...
Melanie writes: One of the highlights was seeing the rainy season start. Everyone kept saying that it was going to rain on the 15th, the Assumption. It's a national holiday, and the people say "Our Lady brings the rain on her feast day". Since that was Saturday and we'd had no rain for some time we decided to see. Skeptically, like the Americans we are. Wednesday: a few clouds, no rain. Thursday: a few clouds and a clap of thunder, no rain. Friday: a few clouds, two claps of thunder, and a teeny sprinkle that barely counted as rain. Friday night: downpour. Saturday: downpour. Sunday: downpour. Repeat that last part every day since the Assumption. Father John told us at mass, "Our Lady brings the rain every year on the Assumption to show the people of Uganda that she has a special love for them because we have a special love for her."
It felt like Easter, because after months of that red dust coating everything, including your body/eyes/even teeth if you walked very far, Saturday of the Assumption the air smelled clean, the plants were all clean, and the people were so happy they were giddy with relief and gratitude. Mass was filled with beautiful music, special dancing, people pledging themselves to Mary.
May the changing of the seasons be an opportunity for us too, to recognize our dependence and to celebrate, with gratitude, the example of the lady who said yes to God!
In my job, I get to see a very special kind of love everyday. This kind of sacrificial love motivates people to leave their homes, travel half a world away and share their gift of healing. Not flowers or chocolates, but the love we are all called to have for all of our sisters and brothers, a universal, faith motivated love.
