A young nurse’s question

“Our distinctive vocation in Christian health care is not so much to heal better or more efficiently than anyone else; it is to bring comfort to people by giving them an experience that will strengthen their confidence in life. The ultimate goal of our care is to give to those who are ill, through our care, a reason to hope.”

These words by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin got me thinking about all the wonderful people I have met over the years working in Catholic Healthcare. For people like me that work in the field of Catholic Mission and Ethics, we invite those we communicate and work with into a way of life. A way well described by Cardinal Bernardin.

Our foundational story in Catholic Healthcare, which invites us all into this way of life is the Good Samaritan Story.

Many people I have worked with have respectfully discussed and debated with me aspects of our Ethic of Care, but I have never meet anyone in the last twenty years who disagreed with the founding story of Catholic Healthcare. I believe that is because at the heart of the story is compassion and radical love. This radical love and compassion extends to everyone regardless of social, religious and ethnic backgrounds. It models a willingness to act with kindness and generosity toward anyone in need, challenging preconceived prejudices.

And, so many people I have worked with and explored the Good Samaritan Story with, have picked this as the line that has touched them deeply:: ‘The one who showed him mercy.’

A story that I was told, that has stayed with me for many years, shows this mercy in action. There was a group of young nurses who were working in a hospital with many mothers who were at a high risk of having their children taken away at birth. Behind the scenes of the hospital there were a group of women who worked tirelessly over the years to create cot and quilt sets for this ward of the hospital. They provided these so that the babies who would be taken away by the Department of Human Services shortly after birth would be assured of a clean and warm cot set for their first nights of life.

Some of the young nurses asked: ‘why would we do that’? The nurse unit manager was shocked. She assumed these nurses knew the culture of the hospital they were working in and soon came to understand that she needed to share our story of the culture of Catholic Healthcare. She knew she had to find a path to explain the Good Samaritan story in a way that would make sense to them. Over time, she worked carefully and gently with them and exposed them to good formation. And some years have passed since then, and now some of them have come to know deeply more and more what it means to ‘show mercy’ in their work on a day-to-day basis.

So, we too are all invited into exploring and revisiting our founding story of Catholic Healthcare. And may our organisations always be known for showing mercy and being a public witness to this in society. Especially, at this time when many need to experience mercy.

Explore more: Retelling “The Good Samaritan”